


Chasing Skye

by just_a_pineapple



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Chasing Liberty - AU, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, I'm Bad At Tagging, Love the ol' saying: If you want to read it then you have to write it yourself, Secret Service -AU, Sharing a Bed, Some angst, Unresolved Sexual Tension, like a lot of fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-22
Updated: 2020-05-23
Packaged: 2020-11-02 12:02:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 37,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20739626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/just_a_pineapple/pseuds/just_a_pineapple
Summary: Daisy Johnson is tired of people controlling her life. As the president of the United State’s daughter, she never has experienced true freedom. The girl feels like she is kept in a cage, a beautiful one, but a cage, nonetheless. So, when the opportunity arises to travel across Europe with a hot guy, she was sure as hell going to accept it. However, little does she know is that the handsome stranger has secrets of his own.Chasing after Daisy are agents Melinda May and Phil Coulson. For the past ten years, the two agents have been protecting the daughter of the President of the United States, Daisy Johnson, or more frequently known by her codename Skye. Of course, spending that amount of time led them to be attached to the girl. How could they not? However, when Daisy decides to take her freedom into her own hands and runs away while in Europe, the two agents are forced to follow her and along the way are forced to acknowledge the feelings that they have been hiding from themselves.





	1. Memories

“Now remember,” started the man with the black eye patch and long trench coat, “All eyes must be on Skye during the entire excursion.”

Melinda May rolled her eyes. It wasn’t as if this was the team’s first time protecting the President’s daughter. The infamous secret service team was known as Strike Team Delta including herself, Hill, Barton, Romanoff, and Coulson, had been serving as a unit for the past 10 years. May had served even longer with Coulson before more agents were needed to help protect the ever-restless little girl. 

“You are all dismissed,” said the head of the secret service, “But remember each of your assignments for tonight. This is a very big day.”

May sat up from the seat, stretching her legs before she started walking out of the room and down one of the White House corridors. She could not wait to go home and read a book while drinking a glass of wine. However, that wish would not happen today. Daisy Johnson, or formally known by the codename Skye, had a date tonight and Strike Team Delta was assigned as protection for the evening. The female agent let out a sigh as footsteps approached her, but upon hearing the voice who had called out to her, let a small smile show on her face.

“You know,” said Phil Coulson as his shoulder brushed hers, “I cannot believe Fury starts out each meeting with almost the same thing.”  
Melinda hummed in agreement.

“Yeah, but this is Daisy’s first date in a couple of months," May said as she walked alongside Coulson, “I just hope that it goes well for her. We all know what happened at the last one.”As they rounded a corner, Melinda felt Coulson shudder beside her.

“You’re right on that. I am still shaking the sand out of my other pair of shoes because of that one.”

“Well maybe if her date had not decided to take her to that carnival by the lake and play beach volleyball, we wouldn’t have been in that situation.”

“True, but you would think that he would have known that it was about to hit the president’s daughter in the face with a volleyball, that he would have been tackled by five secret service agents.”

May let a small laugh at the memory as she fondly shook her head. She loved moments like these. Ones were she and Coulson were able to have a few moments alone. He was one of her closest friends and she valued his comedic spite and comments. Plus, it did not hurt that he wore a suit well. 

“I just cannot believe she is eighteen," said the male agent, “It seems like it was just yesterday when we were holding her hand as she slid down the slide at the playground. Do you remember when we took her to the zoo?”

May let a soft smile show on her face as she looked into her partner’s twinkling eyes.

“Yeah. I do.”

* * *

Eight years ago…

“Are you ready to go to the zoo, Daisy?” asked Melinda May.

It was a very busy day at the White House. Two months ago, President Johnson had just been inaugurated as the president of the United States of America. Along with his wife Jiaying and 8-year-old daughter Daisy, the first family moved into the infamous house. Today was the start of his first tour around the nation and unfortunately, Daisy, being so young, was not allowed to tag along. In order to alleviate the little girl’s situation, May had approached Director Fury with the idea of taking Daisy to the zoo.

“Yeah I am,” mumbled the little girl as she put her thumb in her mouth, “But I’m sad that daddy and mommy can’t come with us.”  
May crouched to the ground in front of the girl, gently pulling her thumb out of her mouth. The female agent brushed back the falling hair in Daisy’s face and looking into the girl’s tearful eyes.

“I know you do sweetie, but it won’t be for long. Plus, I get to spend extra time with you and we’ll get to see so many cool animals. And you know what?”

“What,” asked the little girl, a smile already beginning to form on her face.

“Mr. Phil gets to come with us too.”

“Yay!” exclaimed the little girl as she hopped up and down.

“But you need to grab your backpack and head out to the car first.”

May smiled fondly as she watched the little girl put a stuffed animal in her bag and attempted to carry the small backpack.

“Here let me carry my bag and you can hold my hand,” said May as she reached for the little girl’s hand. 

With Daisy ready and secure, May started walking down the corridors with the girl in tow. She was excited for today as much as Daisy was, even though she did not show it. Going to the zoo meant that she was going to be able to spend time with Phil, even if it was protecting a little girl. She loved being able to spend time with her best friend and she was looking forward to seeing the panda exhibit. 

Walking out the back doors of the large house, May put on her aviators and tried to hide a smile as she and Daisy walked towards the armored SUV. Standing by the door was her partner, Agent Phil Coulson, standing in his usual dark suit and blue tie. 

“Hello, Miss Daisy,” said the man with a smile on his face, “Are you ready to have a fun day?”

“Yes!” exclaimed the little girl while punching her fist in the air. 

The man chuckled as the little girl hopped in the car and May helped her into her car seat. Once the girl was safely secured, May walked around and sat on the left side of the girl, while Coulson sat down on the other side of Daisy. Seeing as everything was fine, Coulson leaned up and spoke to Agent Hill who was behind the wheel of the car.

“Sky is safe and secure. Ready for departure.”

“Copy that.”

* * *

Once reaching the zoo, the little girl could not contain her excitement. It was a special day. Sure she missed her parents, but she got to go to the zoo with Miss May and Mr. Phil. They were fun people to hang with. They always snuck her cookies and candy when Mr. Fury was not around. This was going to be so fun!

“Slow down Daisy,” said May with a small huff. 

At this rate, they would complete the zoo in only thirty minutes.

“I’m sorry Miss May, but I’m just so excited!” exclaimed the little girl as she reached for May’s hand.

May smiled in response and let herself be dragged to the exhibit with the lions. Coulson was walking on the other side of her, the dark shades he wore, unfortunately, hiding his blue eyes from her. 

“They’re so big and fluffy!” said Daisy as she pressed her face up against the glass.

“They are,” agreed the male agent, “But they’re also really dangerous with their pointy teeth. Do you think they’re scary?”

Daisy looked up with her big brown eyes at the male agent as she shook her head from side to side. 

“No, I don’t think they’re scary. Miss May is here to protect me. If those lions even got close to me Miss May would karate chop them,” said the girl with a straight face, “Plus she’s way tougher than a lion.”

May let out a soft chuckle at the girl’s antics. She was definitely a good fighter, but a lion is still a lion. Phil’s reply to the girl interrupted May’s musings.  
“Yeah, she is,” the man said, his voice soft.

May brought her eyes up to meet his and could not help but smile at the man. There was no smile on his face, but even though he was wearing dark sunglasses, she knew that his eyes were smiling back at her. She was about to protest him, but Daisy quickly pulled on her hand, dragging her towards the panda bear exhibit. If she would have continued looking at the man for a few moments longer she would have noticed the smile growing on his face. 

* * *

Five hours later, three ice cream cones later, and two new stuffed animals later, the two agents and their ward were finally leaving the zoo. The little girl, worn out from a large amount of walking and fun of the day was sleeping in Coulson’s arms as he carried her to the car where they would meet back Agent Hill. Unbeknownst to the male agent, May quickly took a picture of the two with her disposable camera they had bought at one of the stands.

It was only for her sake of proving to the president and his wife that Daisy was safe and was having fun, Melinda thought, but she was already thinking of the frame that would look nice on her dresser. It was a very nice outing, why should she not have a photo of it to remember the day?

“Hey, do you mind getting the door?” asked Coulson softly, “I don’t want to wake her up.”

Having reached the SUV, May grabbed the handle and opened the car door. Gently, as if he was holding the most precious thing in the world, Coulson laid Daisy on the car seat and quietly fastened the door. With a quick word to Hill about trying to drive the most quietly, May hopped in on her side of the car and let her head rest against the seat. It was a fun day, but it was also a very exhausting day. She was ready to sit at home with a nice book. 

“I think she had a fun time,” whispered Coulson so not to wake the young girl.

“I think she did too”, May whispered back shooting a fond look at Daisy.

“She’s not the only one. Admit it you liked it.”

May gave the man a look, her eyebrow arched as if to question him.

“A little bit?”

“A little bit.”

Letting a small smile drift on her face, May turned to look out the window. The ride had been a fairly smooth one, but all of a sudden a sharp curve was taken. Trying to soften the quick turn, the female agent shot out her hand to secure the girl’s car seat. However, it seemed that Coulson had the same idea as his hand also shot out, landing on top of Melinda’s. Holding their breath, the agents in the car looked to Daisy to see if she had awakened. Fortunately, she was still well-secured and sleeping. 

Letting out a small sigh of relief Melinda relaxed against the seat and returned to looking out the window for the rest of the ride. It wasn’t until the car had stopped at the back of the White House that May realized she and Coulson were still holding hands. May slowly brought her eyes from their joined hands and raised them to Coulson’s, startled to see that he was already looking at her. As if in a trance, the two agents remained still, unknowingly desperate to prolong the moment. 

“May. Coulson. You ready to bring Skye inside?” said Agent Hill, breaking the fragility of the moment. 

Quickly as if stung, the two senior agents removed their hands. 

“Copy that,” Coulson replied as he undid the buckles of Daisy’s car seat. 

“Here, I can take her,” Melinda said as she reached for the little girl, “You already carried her for so long at the zoo.”

Gently scooping up Daisy in her arms, the female agent exited the car and started towards the White House. As she walked back, she reflected on the moment in the car. She could still feel the warmth of his much larger hand covering hers. But she knew that it would remain unmentioned. They couldn’t mention it. Not in their line of work.

So, with much reluctance, May turned around while holding the girl and faced Hill and Coulson.

“Goodnight,” said the older woman.

“Goodnight,” replied the other agents. 

Hill and Coulson had to go to debriefing while Melinda put Daisy to sleep, so there was no reason for them to stay behind. But as Hill left the room with a knowing look on her face, Coulson remained and approached the woman and little girl. With a soft smile, Coulson leaned in close to May, his breath warm across her hair. 

This was it, May thought, was he actually going to acknowledge it? That thing that filled the room when it was just the two of them?

However, as he almost neared her cheek, the male agent lowered his lips and left a soft kiss on Daisy’s forehead. Whispering a soft goodnight, Coulson backed away and quietly left the room to head towards debriefing. 

Letting out a shaky breath, May did not know she had been holding, she turned away from where she watched her partner exit and looked down at the sleeping girl.

“Maybe one day it’ll be mentioned,” whispered the female agent to Daisy, “But it will be fine for now. How about let’s get you to bed.” Holding her precious cargo, the woman walked up the stairs to help her young ward get ready for bed.

And so, for the next eight years, it remained unmentioned, but it was not unacknowledged. For May acknowledged it, Coulson acknowledged it, and hell, even Hill acknowledged it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, basically, this is a Chasing Liberty AU. I wrote this because I wanted to read a fic like this and there really isn't one, so I assumed that I would have to write it myself. It's going to be around 12ish chapters long so hang in there. I plan to update this once a week, but I am busy with university so we'll see how it goes. Any comments and kudos are highly appreciated! (I am really just trying to survive hiatus). 
> 
> My tumblr is humans-must-be-the-heroes if anyone ever wants to cry over Philinda.


	2. The Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This date was going to be great, thought Daisy Johnson. Everything will be absolutely perfect.  
But, oh how she was wrong.

Present Day

Daisy was having the time of her life. And by that, she meant she was not. Flinging dresses and pants left and right, the girl had absolutely no clue what she wanted to wear for the date. This was her first date since three months ago when there was an incident with a volleyball. Yeah, she did not want to remember that. But this date was going to be different. She had it all planned out. They were going to go to a nice Italian restaurant and then maybe catch a movie later. You know, a typical first date. Except for the fact that there would be five agents following and watching her every move. But she was used to that. First as a governor’s daughter and then as the president’s daughter, it’s all she has ever known.

Searching through her closet she found a floral dress that she had bought last week on a must-needed trip to the mall for retail therapy. Of course, she didn’t go alone. May was there, but May was one of the nicer agents on the team who protected her. She had been protecting Daisy since she was a little girl.

Giving her hair one last fluff and making sure her lipstick wasn’t smudged, Daisy headed out of her room. Trying to sneak past one of the numerous sitting rooms where her parents were sitting, Daisy walked on her tiptoes as quietly as she could. However, her foot landed on a loose board that let out a loud squeak.

“Daisy Johnson,” came the voice of the president, “Don’t think that you can sneak past us so quickly.

Letting out a soft curse, the girl turned towards the sitting room and stood in the doorway, bracing herself for a lecture. Her father was very protective of her. Even though he had been in office for the past eight years and was currently in his last year, her father Cal still hadn’t lessened the amount of security around her. It was like living in a bubble.

“Now I know that this is important to you, but please remember that there will be agents present at all time. I know you don’t like it, but I’m only trying to protect you,” said Cal Johnson. The man was sitting on one of the pale green couches in the impeccably decorated room, his wife sitting on a maroon velvet armchair to the side of him. It was well known to the American people that the Johnson’s were very proud of maintaining a traditional interior design of the White House instead of modernizing the building. Instead of flat screens covering the walls, classical paintings hanged there instead and a grand chandelier lit up the room.

Daisy rolled her eyes. She wasn’t a little girl who needed her hand held as she crossed the street anymore. She was an 18-year-old girl, no woman, about to start her freshman year at MIT for computer science. Besides, if she was honest with herself, her dad wasn’t even the one who held her hand when she needed to cross the street. Agents May and Coulson had.

“Yeah. I know Dad. It’s not like this is my first time outside the house.” 

“Your father is just trying to protect you Daisy,” said Jiaying as she looked up from the cross stitch that she was sewing, “You are the best thing that has ever happened to us.” Her mother was the impeccable image of what a true mother should be. Not only was she wearing pearl earrings, but also a crimson A-line dress with gold floral embroidery on the sleeves and bottom of the dress that paid tribute to her Chinese American upbringing. That was one thing that Daisy loved about her mom, she never forgot about her culture and for the past eight years, had played an integral part in making sure that the government paid more attention to embracing diversity. However, there were times when her mother, as great as she was, did not understand how restricting the constant presence of security guards was. 

Daisy barely contained her eye roll. Sure, she knew that they loved her and cared for her, but her parents were never home or there for her to talk to. They did not understand how frustrating it was to be confined to a cage, a pretty one, but a cage, nonetheless. 

“Okay, Okay. I will be safe as always. Nothing to worry about. Besides Coulson and May will be there so it’s not like anything bad will happen,” the teenager said, giving a quick hug to her mother and awkwardly patting her father on the shoulder as he was engrossed in an analysis report on relations with South American countries. She just wanted to have fun tonight and maybe be a normal teenager on a normal date. Walking towards the front door where her date, Miles, would be standing, Daisy gave a quick nod and smile to the two agents who were posted by the door, signaling that she was ready to head outside. Taking a moment to compose herself she took in a deep breath and plastered a smile on her face as she headed towards Miles’ car. 

Her date was standing by the door of the car, looking a little disheveled, Daisy noted. Probably the security guards again. Poor guy. 

“Wow,” Miles said as she opened the door to the car and sat down, “You look great.”

“Thanks,” Daisy said with a smile. It was nice to be complimented. She wasn’t vain, but she knew that she was more than just your average beauty. But still, it was nice to hear someone say it out loud.

“Uh, these were for you”, Miles said with a huff as he held up a crumpled bouquet of roses, “They would have impressed you.” Looking down at the bouquet, Miles moved to throw them into the back of the car, but Daisy’s hand shot out to grab the pitiful looking flowers.

“No, no, no. They still do,” reassured Daisy with a smile, “They, uh, died for their country.” Of course, she was lying. The roses did look pretty pitiful, but she wanted this date to go well. She just wanted a shot at being a normal teenager. 

“Do you want to get out of here?” Miles asked as he started the car’s ignition.

“More than you know.”

Slowly driving past the front door of the White House, Miles began driving towards the famous gates that surround the iconic house. Once the gates opened, the boy looked over at Daisy with a smile. 

“Alone at last.”

At that Daisy smiled. She wished that were true. But she wasn’t going to ruin her date’s evening.

Pulling out of the driveway, they started the drive to the restaurant where they were going to have their date. And of course, because she could never truly be free, four black SUVs followed Mile’s light blue convertible the entire way there.

* * *

Sitting at a table close to where Daisy was sitting, yet not to close to impose on the girl’s date, Melinda May was sipping a water while she observed the surroundings of the restaurant. So far everything was going well. It seemed that this date was definitely an improvement from volleyball kid.

“All agents are in position,” said Phil Coulson through May’s comm, “And hey, when you get a chance, could you walk me out a latte? Iced. Soy.”

May felt the corner of her mouth quirking up at Coulson’s joking comment. Personally, she loved when they got to do stakeouts. Sure, this wasn’t really a true stakeout, but it was reassuring to hear Coulson’s voice in her ear, even if half the time it was him making jokes. They had both been through hard times before they became agents in the secret service, and it was comforting to know that there were still able to laugh. Melinda began to contemplate about the dark event that ended her career in the army but quickly shook that thought out of her mind. She couldn’t think about it now, she had a job to do. The female looked over to where Daisy was sitting and saw that the girl was laughing at something her date had just said. That’s good. Daisy deserved to enjoy life.

“Looks like Skye found herself a good one,” Coulson commented. He was assigned as surveillance in a van outside the restaurant. From where he was watching the screens, the male agent saw his partner fondly watching the date as well.

“You know. I hate first dates. Too painful,” Coulson continued.

“For you or the girl?” May asked, a playful tone in her voice.

“All I want is to be loved, May,” Coulson said, the smile evident in his voice.

Letting out a quick scoff, the female agent slightly shook her. However, her attention was quickly refocused on Daisy as a woman and two little girls approached the table where the president’s daughter was sitting. Watching the lady like a hawk, Melinda observed as the woman asked Daisy for a picture, but also rambled about random things like her husband being divorced and unnecessary things. She rambled even more than Phil normally did. 

Finally, the woman’s children took their place on either side of Daisy and the mother took the picture. The date tried to lean in as well for the picture, but the mother quickly shooed him away, leaving the boy looking dejected. Once, the picture was taken, the mother and her daughters finally left away as Daisy wished them to enjoy Washington. 

May did feel bad. Daisy deserved to have some normalcy in her life and the female agent knows that the lady wasn’t trying to be mean, but still, she wished that people would let the teenage girl have her privacy. From her table, May watched as Daisy held hands with the boy on top of their table, their thumbs lightly brushing over the other’s. Melinda let a small smile form on her face at the sight. It was nice to see another person being able to have a chance at love, especially since it was likely that she never would.

“You know,” Coulson said with a tone she couldn’t exactly place,” You look good in that blouse, May.”

Knowing that her partner was watching through the security cameras, Melinda readjusted her top, making sure to let him get a good look at it, as she replied, “It’s a sweater.”

“Sweater or blouse. You wear it well. Take a compliment.”

Melinda tilted her head slightly to the side in playful annoyance, huffing out a short laugh. It was times like these, that Phil made it hard for her to push away those pesky feelings. The man could be a real flirt, whether he knew it or not. That’s why it made it so hard to be near him when he first joined Strike Team Delta because he was dating that cellist. However, she was brought out of her musings when she noticed movement out of the corner of her eye.

“Uh, we got something at nine-o-clock,” May said into her comm as she turned her head to track the movements of three teenagers, her body tense and coiled, ready to strike if need be. 

One of the teenagers, a boy with a baseball cap on his head, approached the table and said, “Hey I thought I’d make this night a little more memorable”. The boy began to reach into the inside of his jacket…

“He’s reaching into his jacket,” May said loudly, rising from her seat, “MOVE!”

As soon as the order left May’s lips, twenty agents leaped out of their concealed seats in the restaurant, racing to protect Skye. One agent grabbed the boy’s arms behind his back, as two agents tackled the other two boys. Melinda had placed herself in front of Daisy, shielding her from any possible bullets. Looking to her left, May saw that a waitress had grabbed Miles and used him as a shield in front of her.

“No, no, no,” May heard Daisy say, “You guys don’t understand please.”

The agents continued to hold down the three teenagers and May remained in front of Daisy.

“Hold, on I know these –” Miles began to say but was interrupted by the chaos of the boys being led out of the restaurant along with the patrons of the restaurant trying to figure out what was going on. 

It was going to be a long night.

* * *

From her position on the sidewalk, Daisy watched as yet another police vehicle passed by. It wasn’t as if they needed any more police, what with the twenty-plus secret service standing on the sidewalk, the blue and red lights of their sirens lighting up the outside of the restaurant. Standing next to Miles, Daisy watched as the boy was being searched by an agent, his hands on the back of the police car.

“It was only a camera,” the teenager attempted to explain, a tremor in his voice as he was continued to be searched.  
Miles turned to Daisy, an upset look on his face.

“I’m so sorry,” the girl said with an even more upset look than the boy.

Miles shook his head. “I should wait for them,” her date said as he pointed behind him.

“No, come on. It’s still early. We could…we could still watch a movie,” Daisy offered quickly, trying to mend the disastrous night.

“Daisy,” Miles started, a solemn look on his face, “You are great, but this is just way too out of control for me. I’m sorry.” Shaking his head, Miles walked away, leaving Daisy behind on the sidewalk. 

How could this have happened to her? Daisy thought as she watched her former date walk away from her. Yet another ruined date that was all because of her dad being the president and his stupid rules about safety. She couldn’t believe it. Why?

Not long after Miles had left her standing on the sidewalk, she was ushered into an SUV where May and Coulson were in the front seats. Daisy remained quiet the whole ride back. She didn’t want to face anyone, not after that horrible date. She could not wait to let off some steam by addressing what happened to her father. Maybe he would change his mind about those stupid rules if he knew about another failed attempt at having a normal life. 

“Daisy,” Coulson started as he looked into the rearview mirror, “We’re really sorry that this happened to you. We know how much this date meant to you.”

“Sure you do,” the girl snapped.

Looking into the mirrors of the car, Daisy saw a look of hurt flash across both Coulson’s and May’s faces before they both assumed their regular no-nonsense agent masks. Upon seeing their reactions, Daisy began to feel guilty. She had no right to snap at them. It wasn’t their fault. They weren’t the ones who put these insanely overprotective rules on her. It was her father. They just carried out those rules, obeying their commander and chief. Still not feeling up to talking, Daisy looked out the tinted window, watching as the nighttime scenery flew by.

It was only a few more minutes before the SUV reached the White House, the rest of the secret service following behind them. Once Coulson brought the car to the entrance and put the car in park, Daisy grabbed her purse and began shuffling to reach for the handle of the door. Looking over her shoulder as she got out, Daisy knew that she couldn’t leave things unspoken between them.

“Hey, look. I am sorry that I snapped at you. It’s not your guys’ fault. You’re just following orders.”

May rolled down her window as it was the closest to the entrance where Daisy was now standing in front of the door. Coulson leaned over the console and next to May so that he could speak to Daisy.

“We know, Daisy. We really do understand. If it were up to us, we would do anything to see that smile of yours.”

Daisy let a small smile show as she watched May nodded in agreement. These two were always looking out for her. Saying goodbye to the two agents Daisy began her ascent up the stairs and towards the large wooden doors. While she was walking, she could hear the two agents saying goodbye to each other. Upon hearing the teasing comments between them, Daisy fondly rolled her eyes as she opened the door. Those two seriously needed to get a room, but the problem was they didn’t even know they needed to. It comforted Daisy that even the two most deadliest and respected agents in the entire secret service were oblivious fools. Maybe soon she would say something to them about it, but now she was headed to go give an earful to her father about her date. 

As she walked down the many hallways, Daisy remembered what was happening the following week. A summit for the United Nations Environment Program was being held in Prague and the first family along with multiple advisors were going to represent the United States. Normally, Daisy would be bored about going to all her father’s presidential obligations. However, since this one was in Europe, Daisy could not wait to go. Maybe, just maybe, she could talk her dad into letting her have some fun on the trip. How could he not? They were going to be in Prague. Prague! Plus, the girl had a few tricks up her sleeve that would guarantee her more freedom while away.

Having finally reached her father’s office, Daisy barged in ready to rant and oh how she did.


	3. The Banquet

“It’s been a busy schedule for America’s first family in Prague during this UNEP summit week. The first daughter, Daisy Johnson, took a horse and carriage ride with the mayor of Prague and his wife. After a press conference, there was a tour of the air force museum with the Minister of Culture, then a caricature by a local artist on Charles Bridge, a photo op with high school students at Prague castle, and even a few moments entertaining children at the Prague marionette theater. It seems that Daisy Johnson’s diplomatic skills are on the way to matching those of her father, President Johnson. The day will end with a presidential banquet at the National Museum. I am Victoria Hand, and this has been BBC World News.”

* * *

“Ugh,” Daisy said as she fell back on the bed at the hotel they were staying at in Prague, “I have no clue what to wear.” Sure, the girl had arrived with more than one suitcase, well more like five suitcases, but the banquet was about to start in an hour and a half, and she still couldn’t decide on a dress. It had to be a formal evening gown and worse of all she had to wear heels. Normally, she would ask her mother for help when deciding what to wear, but the first lady had already arrived early with the president to make sure that all of the arrangements were correct. Still, there was one person who Daisy knew would help her. 

“May,” the girl said, trying to catch the attention of the female agent standing by the door, “I need your help. I have nothing to wear.”

Daisy watched as Agent May rolled her eyes and came to stand by her bed, pointedly giving daisy a look that hinted at her amusement at the girl’s antics. 

“Daisy, you literally have five suitcases. I am sure you will be able to find something.”

“I know, but it has to be perfect. I am the first daughter so therefore everyone will be staring at me. You know how mom gets when something is even just a little bit out of place,” Daisy said with a huff as she got up from her bed and began to pull out dresses from her closet to show May.

“Okay, so this is the first dress. I think it will work. The color is great, but I am not sure if it is classy enough.”

Melinda looked at the dress that Daisy was holding up to her. It was a long pink dress, bordering on hot pink, with a deep scoop neckline. Sure, it was pretty enough, and it would look great on the girl, everything did. However, the female agent could see the girl’s point. It was probably too casual for a banquet where the girl would be rubbing elbows with world leaders.

“Hmm, I do agree with you,” said Melinda as she took the dress from Daisy’s hands and laid it on the other side of the bed, “What are the other ones you were thinking about?”

Eager to finally have someone help her decide, Daisy quickly skipped to her closet, nearly tripping over a pair of high heels. Grabbing a deep green, sweater-material dress with long sleeves and high neckline, the girl turned around and showed it to May. She felt like this one would be a good one. 

“What about this one? I think it’s definitely more elegant than the last one, and the color would look really good with my complexion.” Daisy watched impatiently as the female agent reached for the dress and looked at it from all angles. 

“Well, I do agree with your points,” started May, “However, I don’t think your parents would like these lovely cut-outs on the side and the front.” Melinda stuck her hand inside the cut-out and out one end, partially to tease the girl, but also to show the girl what she had missed when she originally showed off the dress.

“Huh, I wonder how those got there,” Daisy said in what she hoped sounded like an innocent voice. However, she knew that her agent was right, her parents would definitely not like her wearing that dress to the banquet, but she had to at least try.

“Well then, what do you suggest?” asked Daisy. There were only a few more dresses that would be proper enough for the banquet and she still hadn’t found a dress to wear. Daisy watched as the female agent got up from her seat on the bed and walked over to the closet, looking through the different hangers of clothing. After a period of time that was far too long in Daisy’s opinion, May turned around with a dress in her hand.

“What about this one,” asked the female agent as she brought the dress closer to where the girl was sitting on her bed. 

Letting out a gasp, Daisy jumped to her feet. That was the one. She had completely forgotten that she had brought it with her. It was one of the many dresses she had bought when she went with May to the mall last time. The dress was long and of a dark blue color, almost so dark that it faded into black at the bottom. It reminded the girl of the night sky. Daisy reached out her hand to touch it. The material was glossy silk that felt incredibly soft beneath her fingers. She then turned her attention to the top of the dress. The top half of the dress was covered in tiny diamond stars that extended up until the neckline that stopped right below her collarbone. The cut on the dress was definitely proper enough for her parents, yet still modern enough to not be deemed stuffy. Daisy adored it.

Careful not to wrinkle the dress, the girl took it from May and laid it gently on her bed. As soon as she had done so, Daisy launched herself into the female agent’s arms to give her a hug. The girl felt May stiffen in response but knew that the woman didn’t mean to offend her. As she felt the woman soften into returning the embrace, Daisy brought herself back and looked into her agent’s eyes.

“Thank you.”

“Of course.”

“Now,” started Daisy as she reached for the jewelry box on the nightstand to look for what earrings she wanted to wear with the dress, “We need to talk about what you are going to wear to the ball.”

“Daisy, I am just an agent,” May replied as she leaned against the mirror Daisy was looking in as she tried on different pairs of earrings, “It’s not typically standard for agents to be dressed up for these events. I’ll probably just wear my suit as usual.”

Daisy let out a small huff. How could this woman be so stubborn?

“Yes, but this is a huge event. I even heard that my dad wanted all the agents to wear formal wear so that way they can blend easier with the crowd. He especially said that you were one of the ones who were supposed to watch me closely and that meant that you would especially need to blend in,” explained Daisy as she showed May two different pairs of earrings that she wanted her opinion on. 

“The pair on the left. They’re diamond so they’ll match your dress better.”

Daisy let a quick smile show on her face as she set the chosen pair of earrings off to the side of the nightstand so she could remember to grab them before she left. Not all of what she told Agent May was exactly true. Yes, her dad did want May to watch her closely, but he didn’t really specify what she was supposed to wear. However, Daisy really wanted to give something back to the woman who had helped her so much. Plus, she could just imagine how beautiful May would look if she had the chance to dress up.

“Even if that is what the president wants,” May said as she watched Daisy begin to search for a pair of high heels, “I don’t even know what to wear. I did not know I would have to dress up while on security detail.”

“Yeah, about that,” Daisy started as she put the heels she had chosen by her bed and turned around to face the female agent, “That’s not exactly true.”

“What do you mean, Daisy?” 

“Just, wait a sec May.”

Melinda watched as the girl began to shift through her closet. She had no clue what the girl was up to. The agent hadn’t brought a dress with her. That was that. It was too late to go and pick up a dress. The banquet started in an hour. However, May was brought out of her thoughts as Daisy abruptly turned around from her closet while holding a dress bag.

“Daisy, what is this?” The female asked as she warily eyed the dress bag.

“Well, you know how we went shopping a couple of weeks ago?” 

May gave a quick nod. That had been a fun shopping trip. Daisy had wanted to find a dress that would be perfect for her date and well, they all had seen how that had gone. However, being assigned as security while Daisy was shopping was one of May’s favorite things. Whenever the girl was trying on different outfits, she would put on a mini fashion show for the agents. While Melinda herself did not like to shop, it was fun to watch the girl enjoy herself. 

“Well…I finished changing quickly and when I walked out of the stall, you didn’t notice me. While stood there, I saw that you were eying a really pretty dress, so I had it packed up when you weren’t looking. I’ve been trying to find a good time to give it to you but never really got a good chance to. I think you should wear it to the banquet.”

“Daisy, I can’t. It would be-” May started as she was interrupted by Daisy shoving the dress into her hands and speaking over her.

“No May, whatever excuse you have prepared. Just don’t. It would make me extremely happy if you wore this dress. And is it not your duty to make me happy?” Daisy asked as she put on her best puppy dog face and folded her hands together. 

“Fine,” May said as she took the dress bag from Daisy’s hands. The girl knew how to use Melinda’s soft spot for her against her. “What even is this dress? I don’t remember half of them that we looked at.”

“Ugh, May. Just open the bag already! We don’t have all day.”

Grabbing the zipper at the top of the bag, Melinda slowly pulled the zipper down and gently pushed the bag off the dress. Once the dress was fully out of the bad, the female agent let out a gasp. It was indeed the dress that she had been looking at. The floor-length dress was made of tight black material with a neckline that would stop beneath her collarbone and a slit that went to her lower thigh. All of those details made the dress incredibly beautiful, but the most impressive parts of the dress were the lace long sleeves and the strip of lace that traveled down to the slit on the left side of the dress. Not only would this dress look great on her, but the slit would allow for her to have full movement in case the occasion arose. It was incredible.

“How did you-” May began as she gently ran her fingers over the material. “How did you even sneak this in Daisy? I need to pay you back for this.”

Turning to the older woman with a hand on her hip, Daisy replied, “Don’t worry about it. You have already done so many things for me. Besides, there’s already something that will repay the debt anyway.” The girl let a sly smile show on her face. She was so ready for this.

“And what would that be Daisy?” asked the female agent with a wary look on her face. 

“Oh, you know…Agent Coulson’s reaction to seeing you in the dress.”

Despite attempting to keep a mask of indifference on her face, Melinda felt her heart skip a beat. What would Coulson think of wearing the dress? They hadn’t been on any undercover ops in years, let alone one where they had to dress up as fancy as this.

“Daisy,” May said as she tried to keep the faint blush off her face, “I’m not even sure that he is going to be assigned to the banquet as your personal security. All I know is that it contains me and another agent. Surely he will be doing something else.”

“He won’t be,” Daisy replied as she went into her bathroom to change into her gown. However, before she shut the door the girl turned around to look at May and slyly said, “I already asked him to be on it.” 

And with that the girl closed her door, leaving a very perplexed agent to wander to her own room to prepare for the banquet.

* * *

Melinda May reached for the pearl earrings sitting by her nightstand as she took one last look in the mirror at her hair. Not one for fashion, May had let Daisy style her hair and the girl had chosen a wavy updo. She had to give the girl credit though. Her hair looked as if it came out of one of those magazines lying around the salons, she accompanied Daisy to. As she was finishing putting on dark red lipstick, Melinda heard two sharp knocks on her door.

“Hey, you ready in there, May?” came the voice of her partner, Coulson, “We need to escort Skye to the vehicles in five minutes.”

“Yeah, come on in,” Melinda said as she began to put on her holster, “I’m just finishing up. I need to grab my clutch and then I’m ready to go.” Melinda heard Phil open the door and enter her room, but did not look up, focused on securing her holster and gun. After a few minutes had passed and she finally got her holster strapped comfortably to her thigh she let the bottom of her dress down and looked up at Phil. He had been so quiet the past few minutes that Melinda had almost forgotten that he was in the room with her. Upon seeing Coulson’s throat bob and his constant stare, the female agent raised one of her eyebrows. That movement finally brought her partner back to the present.

“Wow, May,” Coulson started as he looked her up and down, “You look beautiful. Absolutely beautiful.” The man then walked closer to her, stopping a breath away. “Hold on. You have a loose strand of hair.”

Melinda held her breath as she watched the man reach his hand up and softly tuck a piece of hair into place by her bobby pin. Their close proximity allowed her to catch the scent of his cologne, strong but not overpowering, just like him. The woman expected him to remove his hand as soon as he fixed her hair, but he surprised her letting his hand rest against her cheek. 

Melinda had told herself many years ago that nothing would ever happen between them, nothing ever could. She had to remain strong. However, as she felt the warmth of his palm against her cheek, she let herself have a moment of weakness and leaned into his touch, closing her eyes. The room was quiet as they stood together in the middle of her room, but the silence was comfortable, and the air was filled with so many unspoken thoughts. She could stand here with him forever; however, the sound of their comms broke the silence.

“May. Coulson. We are escorting Skye to her car. Ready to meet us at the car?”

May watched Coulson slowly remove his hand as if it was taking every ounce of his strength and answered the coms.

“Yeah. We’re heading your way.” The man took a step back and headed towards the door. 

She felt cold without his presence, but she knew that they had a job to do. They always did. Following her partner out of the door, Melinda matched her pace with is as they walked down the corridor towards where Daisy’s car would be waiting. It wasn’t until she glanced over at him while they were walking that she noticed his outfit for the night. The man wore a black, sharp-cut tuxedo that hugged him almost too well in all the right places and a black bowtie tied around his neck. So, it appeared like she wasn’t the only one who was dressing up for the night. She had to admit, they made quite a striking pair.

As the two agents reached the doors that led outdoors to where they would meet Daisy to escort her to the ball, Coulson hesitate for a short moment, his hand just barely holding the handle. Trying to maintain the professionalism that would be expected of them as soon as they exited the hotel, Melinda kept her face forwards, but let her eyes stray to the side to glance at her partner. 

“You know, I really like that dress,” said Coulson as he pulled open the door and held it open for her, allowing for her to walk past him. 

Knowing that he would not be able to see her face from his position behind her, Melinda let a smirk show on her face. Of course, he liked her dress. She wasn’t vain, but she knew as soon as she laid eyes on the dress that it would look amazing on her, especially with the long slit on the side. Approaching the car, May took notice that Daisy was already in the car and opened her car door, but not without throwing a comment back at her partner.

“Well, if you really must know, I really like that tux,” said the female agent as she closed the car door. She had not been looking back at Coulson when she had hopped in the car, but if she had, she would have noticed the small smile growing on his face and the slight falter in his step.

* * *

Daisy felt exhausted and it had only been an hour since the banquet had begun. As soon as she arrived at the National Museum, she was moved into her spot where she would be shaking hands with all the world leaders present at the banquet. As much as the girl loved the beautiful marble staircases and the gold chandeliers that hung from the ceilings, she would much rather be at home with her laptop, working on developing new software. After only a few minutes of standing where she was told to, her parents walked over to stand next to her. 

“Ugh,” Daisy said as she tried to keep her posture perfectly straight, “How long is this going to take? I don’t want to be here for hours talking to people I don’t know.”

“Darling,” said her mother as she faced her, “Do not worry. The banquet should last no more than three hours.” Daisy barely contained her eye roll. No more than three hours meant four to five when dealing with her parents. However, the girl was happy to have them by her side. Her mother was on her left and looked ever the part of the first lady. She was wearing a long white one-shoulder gown that had many small white flowers gracing the flowing material. As per usual, her mother looked effortless. 

“Listen to your mother, Daisy. Like always she is correct,” said her father as he squeezed Jiaying’s hand. Her father stood on Daisy’s right and was wearing a tuxedo with a bowtie and the infamous small pin of the American flag. At least they all looked the part.

The girl was about to respond, but she was interrupted by the sound of people chatting and walking up the grand staircase. Hopefully, this would go by quickly. All she wanted to do was sample the food. However, it would be much later until the girl would be able to even relax a little. After an hour of greeting people, Daisy felt as if the smile she wore on her face was becoming pained and that she wouldn’t be able to sell the image of the dutiful and attentive daughter of the president. However, the girl was saved when she heard the yelling of her name across the large room of people. 

“Daisy!” came the loud voice of a young woman who was quickly making her way over to the president’s daughter. 

“Elena!” Daisy exclaimed, a huge smile on her face as she pulled her friend in for a quick hug, careful not to mess up her hair. “It’s so good to see you. It feels like forever!” Elena Rodriguez was the daughter of the Prime Minister of Colombia. The two girls had met at an event for her father in Colombia. They often texted and wrote emails to each other, but it had been so long since she had seen her feisty friend. Elena looked incredible in her dress, a long red dress with a scoop neckline. 

“I know, girl,” said Elena as she took a back step from Daisy, “We need to hang out.” There it was. The words that the girl needed in order to convince her parents to let her have some fun in Prague as a normal person. Watching as Elena shook hands with Daisy’s father and hugged her mother, Daisy quickly planned what she was going to say.

“So,” Daisy began as she faced her parents, feeling emboldened by her friend’s presence, “I think that is a great idea. In fact, why don’t we start catching up for lost time right now? Mom, Dad, I know that this event is incredibly important, but I have been here the entire time and have definitely fulfilled the requirements for the night. There’s even this club that’s not too far away that is having an amazing band playing. Plus, it would be such a fun cultural experience too.” Daisy hoped her rant to her parents was not too long, but sometimes when she gets excited, she talks too much. 

“Si,” Daisy heard Elena say, “Plus, your daughter will be there with me. I know all the best clubs and all the cutest boys. She will be in great hands.” So, not the best argument perhaps when dealing with her overprotective parents, but an argument, nonetheless. Daisy smoothed her hands down on her dress as she waited for her parents’ response.

“I don’t know about this Daisy,” her father started with a worried look upon his face, “This is a foreign place that you have never been to before. Plus, we also must maintain the proper image of the first family. I don’t think this is a good idea.”

Daisy felt a sense of sadness set in but was interrupted by her mother saying, “Oh come on Cal, let the girl have fun. She has earned it. Of course, there will be agents there to protect her.” The girl held her breath as she watched her father mull over her mother’s words.

“Fine.” Yes! She was going to experience real fun in Prague! “However, I want agents Hill, May, Coulson, and Barton to be with you at all times.” Daisy lightly rolled her eyes. Of course, her father would try to smother her with an unreasonable number of agents. That simply wouldn’t do.

“How about just Agents May and Coulson, and we have a deal,” Daisy replied, one hand on her hip. The girl didn’t know how her father would respond to only having to agents guarding her, but May and Coulson were the best agents in the secret service. Plus, the two agents would probably be making heart eyes at each other for half of the time, so she would at least have more time when the attention wasn’t fully on her. 

Even now standing in the giant room full of hundreds of people, Daisy could see May and Coulson standing by one of the ornate pillars a few feet away. The sleek black dress May was wearing matched perfectly with Coulson’s tux. If she was a random person in the room, she wouldn’t have known they were secret service, or more specifically not a couple. The two were literally made for each other but were not acting on their feelings. At least if her father agreed to just them being her security, May and Coulson would be forced to spend more time with each other.

“Fine,” replied the president. As soon as the words left her mouth, Daisy rushed over, well as much as one could rush in a full-length gown and gave her father a hug. Releasing herself from her father’s arms Daisy also gave her mother a quick hug and smile and turned towards Elena.

“We have the green light,” Daisy told her friend, “Let’s go get changed.” Linking her arm with Elena’s, the first daughter walked over to where the two agents who would be watching her stood. 

“Hey, lovebirds,” Daisy said with a sly smile on her face as she noticed the little distance between their shoulders as they stood next to each other, “I’m sure that you just got briefed through the comms, but Dad says Elena and I can go on a little outing, if you two tag along.” 

“Of course. The car is pulling up as we speak right now,” replied Agent Coulson as he gave Daisy a pointed look.

“Great,” Daisy replied with a smile on her face. Still walking with Elena, Daisy watched as the two agents walked in front and formed a small pathway to get through the crowd of numerous diplomats and world leaders. At one point, a man bumped into Agent May and Daisy watched as Coulson put a hand on the small of her back, gently leading her away from the man. As they reached the car, the two agents held the doors open and the two girls hopped in. 

While May and Coulson were confirming their departure from the hotel, Elena leaned over to Daisy and asked, “Are these two always like this? They act like Mack and me when we were separated for a few months and how when we reunited, we never left each other sides. Are they a thing?”

“Yes to your first question and no to the second one. They’re hopeless fools in love, but you know, they’re great people who deserve each other. I just hope one day I can meet someone who is in love with me as much as they are,” Daisy responded as the two agents opened the door to the car.

“Well, maybe you will, amiga. I am sure that there must be some cute guy out there who is perfect for you. Who knows? The night is young,” responded Elena as she waggled her eyebrows up and down, a huge smile on her face.

Daisy let out a bark of laughter at her friend’s antics and settled back as the car drove away from the National Museum and towards the hotel where they would change. She wished, but could there even be a guy like that for her? However, like Elena said, who knows? The night was young.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For all of you quakerider fans better buckle up, because the next chapter is going to be a fun one!


	4. The Stranger

“This is amazing,” yelled Daisy over the sound of the loud music. The club that Elena and she were in was packed full of loud and lively people. Bright lights flashed across the room as the band on the stage filled the large room with music, which was a feat since the club had two stories. If Daisy had not been focused on where Elena was in the crowd, she felt she would have been overstimulated. 

“This is what you have been missing, amiga,” yelled Elena back as she lively danced, weaving herself through the crowd and back to Daisy in some sort of cycle. Daisy thought it was kind of weird that her friend was unable to dance in one place. It was almost as if she were a yoyo, dancing around and then bouncing back to Daisy.  


Daisy let out a short laugh in response. Elena’s lively attitude always managed to cheer her up. As she swayed from side to side, Daisy looked around the room to absorb more of her surroundings. Looking to the left, Daisy watched as a young man jumped from one of the raised tables and into the crowd, a multitude of hands somehow catching him, allowing the guy to crowd surf. Behind him, a group of teenagers was dancing on top of a nearby table, nearly tipping it. Everything in that club was pure chaos and Daisy loved it. 

As Elena grabbed Daisy’s hands and started to twirl around, Daisy was able to look to the right. From the corner of her eye, the girl spotted agents May and Coulson standing against a wall looking as if they were flirting with each other. Those two needed to get together. Daisy was tired of being in a room with them and their long and meaningful glances at each other. Sure, they were cute together, but a girl could only take so much. If they were not going to make any moves, Daisy was going to do something. 

Watching as Elena released her hand and began to do some weird cha-cha move, Daisy considered whether she was crazy or drunk, but also considered her options on the May-Coulson situation. She could always lock them in an elevator or a closet. The countless rom coms she had watched, proved that solution usually worked. Or she could make her Dad assign them to be undercover as a married couple where they had to share one bed. That could work too. However, the girl was interrupted from her thoughts when she glanced up at the balcony. 

“No way,” Daisy said in disbelief. This can’t be happening. Her dad had promised. 

“What is it?” Elena asked as she stopped dancing after she noticed the serious look on her friend’s face. 

“It’s my Dad. He added more people to my security detail. It was just supposed to be May and Coulson.”

Daisy could not believe that her dad would stoop so low as to break his promise. Agents May and Coulson were very capable agents. They could literally fight the whole club in thirty seconds. There was no reason for the extra agents. This was supposed to be a night of freedom, but now it’s ruined. 

Racing through the crowd to where May and Coulson were standing against the wall, Daisy approached them, anger evident in her eyes. 

“He said only two agents,” Daisy yelled. The girl watched as the two agents tried to consul her that they did not want the extra agents with them as well, but Daisy was too mad to let them finish.

“I’m out of here,” The girl said as she grabbed Elena’s wrist and started to run down the stairs at the back of the club.

“What are we doing?” asked Elena. 

“We need to find a way for me to escape” answered Daisy as she shoved past some people and into the bathroom. The room was located off to the side and was filled with many women so they should have been hard to find. It wouldn’t be long till the agents will have found her, but she needed any extra time she could get to find a way out of this situation. 

Looking around the bathroom, Daisy noticed a group of girls styling their hair. Maybe they would have something that could help her. Leaving Elena by the door, Daisy walked over and talked to the girls. Elena watched as Daisy turned around and gave a thumbs up. Elena had no clue what that meant, but she was sure that she would figure out soon.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, Daisy looked at herself in the mirror. Pleased with she saw, she turned around to face Elena and the group of girls. Upon hearing many remarks that said she looked good, Daisy let out a small smile. The agents would not recognize her now. Daisy’s previously long brown hair was now cut to her shoulders with a slight curl in it. In addition to new hair, the girls had put dark eye shadow and a darker shade of lipstick on her. Sure, it was a little more goth then what she normally wore, but that was the point. She didn’t want to be recognized.

Satisfied with her new appearance, Daisy looked to Elena and said, “We got to go.” Daisy watched as Elena nodded in agreement and they both ran to the bathroom door to open it. However, just as they opened the door, Daisy heard one of the girls yell out to her.

“Here, let’s trade jackets, that’ll help you blend in.”

Grabbing the black leather jacket from the girl’s hands, Daisy handed over her brown jacket. They looked to be the same size. The girl was slightly taller than her with long hair that was a darker shade of brown. As she slipped on her jacket, Daisy noticed that the girl had a tattoo of an ancient Norse sword on her forearm and around her neck, a lightning bolt pendant engraved with the letter “S”.

“Thank you so much, but can I ask why you are helping me?” Daisy asked as she watched the group of girls, clearly friends, smile at her.

“We know how it is when you see your ex at a club. We just wanted to help another sister out.”

Well, that wasn’t the exact reason why Daisy needed to be unrecognizable, but she shouted one last thank you and disappeared with Elena into the crowds. As they reached the end of the hallway, Daisy heard May and Coulson behind them shouting Daisy’s name as a girl stumbled to the floor in front of the two agents. It appeared that she was the one who had exchanged jackets with Daisy. They must have thought that the girl was Daisy. God bless that girl’s soul. 

Racing out through the crowds, Daisy finally reached the exit and stumbled out into the cold night air, Elena right beside her. Heaving from the amount of physical exertion, Daisy tried to catch her breath watching as Elena appeared to be completely unaffected by the running. 

“Hey,” Elena began, “I have to go, I just got a call from my father that he needed me back at the embassy. Something about a last-minute event for Colombia tomorrow. I’m so sorry to leave you, but you’ll be okay right?”

“Yeah. I’ll be fine,” Daisy replied as she watched her friend hop into a nearby cab. Waving goodbye to her friend, Daisy took in a breath of the cold night air. It made her feel calmer. However, that calmness was abruptly interrupted when she heard shouts coming from the entrance of the club. Looking for a way to escape, Daisy began to push through the lines of people outside when she spotted a man leaning against the wall of the neighboring, a sleek black motorcycle beside him. The guy seemed to be her age, maybe a year older, and was wearing a black leather jacket and dark jeans. He had black hair and a shortly trimmed beard. Even though Daisy found these characteristics of him to be attractive, it was his eyes that that made the girl believe that he would help her. As she approached him, she saw a glimpse of intelligence and mystery burning in his eyes. It was now or never. The sounds of footsteps were getting closer, she needed to escape now. 

“Hey, excuse me, sir, I know this is really weird, but I need a ride,” Daisy said frantically as she heard the shouts of her name even closer. Daisy watched as the man took a second to think and looked her up and down. He seemed to be questioning whether she was going to be a hassle. 

“Please, I really need to get out of here.”

Looking over her shoulder, the man spotted people running towards them and turned his attention back to the girl standing in front of him.

“Yeah, why not Chica? Hop on.”

Daisy watched as the man quickly swung his leg over the motorcycle, revving the engine and then patting the spot behind him. Taking that as an indication to hop on, Daisy quickly did the same, wrapping her arms around the man’s waist with only a small amount of hesitation. As if they were a bullet out of a gun, they quickly shot out from the club and into the nearby alleyway. The wind whipped through the girl’s hair as they abruptly took a turn to the left that brought them back to the main road. This road looked a little more remote, so Daisy thought that they would be safe. 

Leaning up to tap her savior’s shoulder, the girl told the man that he could leave her off her. As the bike came to a stop, Daisy began to lift her leg over the bike, but the sound of a car engine behind her caused her to pause. Looking over her shoulder, Daisy saw that there was a black SUV getting closer to where they were.  
“On second thought, do you mind helping me out a little more?” Daisy asked with what she hoped were her best puppy-dog eyes. Daisy watched as the man shook his head a little and a soft smirk show on his face. It was only a matter of seconds when the man nodded at her and the girl hopped back on the bike, arms wrapping around his middle once again. Quickly starting the engine, the guy continued to drive them down the road, the SUV’s behind them getting rapidly closer.

“We need to lose them,” Daisy yelled over the sound of the engine, “They’re getting too close!”

“I know, Chica,” replied the man as he spared a quick glance behind them at the cars tailing them. Right as the cars seemed to be in reach of them and Daisy could almost imagine that someone specifically like May was calling her name, her new friend abruptly turned into a small alleyway, barely wide enough for them to pass through. Sparing a glance behind them, Daisy watched as the SUV stopped at the entrance of the alley, too large to fit through the small area. 

“Woohoo!” Daisy yelled into the sky as they zoomed away from her pursuers, “We did it!” She felt free and so very happy. If Daisy had not been holding on so tightly to her rescuer’s waist, she would not have felt the small chuckle that ran through the man’s body. Letting her eyes fall shut, Daisy let herself relax for the rest of the ride.

It had only been fifteen minutes when the guy stopped the bike in front of a small bar and quickly dismounted. Turning to Daisy, her mysterious rescuer held out his hand for Daisy to hold as she slid off the bike. His hand felt warm and strong in hers, and if Daisy maybe held onto his hand a second later than what was appropriate, then who would blame her? 

“Thank you so much!” Daisy replied as she grinned up at the taller man.

“You’re welcome,” replied the man with a small smile on his face. Daisy got the feeling that her rescuer did not often smile a lot in public. Trying to focus on the matters at hand, Daisy quickly brushed the feeling of wanting to help that man to smile more off and turned her attention back on him. 

“So, I feel like I need to get to know the man who bravely rescued me”, the girl said as she turned to look at the small bar they were standing in front of. It did not appear to be sketchy. The interior appeared to be well lit and the atmosphere of the building appeared to be more like a coffee shop rather than a bar. Now that she was free from her father’s agents and could spend some time with a cute guy, she asked, “What do you think about a drink?”

Daisy watched as the man seemed to be internally at war with himself, clearly trying to decide whether he should accept. Right as the girl began to think he would turn her down, the man replied, “Sure, why not.”

Following the man, as he pushed open the door and held it open for her, Daisy stepped inside and glanced at the board. Most of the drinks seemed to be alcoholic, which the girl was not a stranger to, but she knew that the tabloids would love the opportunity to obtain pictures of her drinking alcohol before the age of twenty-one. However, Daisy did remind herself that in Prague, she would be legally allowed to drink. As Daisy was debating over which options she should go with, the girl did not notice that her rescuer was already standing next to her, with two cups of what appeared to be coffee. The smell drifted over to her and Daisy confirmed that it was indeed coffee, the warm and rich smell filling her senses. 

“Would you like to sit?” The man asked as he handed her one of the cups. Nodding her head in confirmation, Daisy followed him over to a booth with dark maroon cushions and a tabletop made of solid oak. Taking a quick sip of coffee, Daisy leaned back until her head rested against the back of the bench. Peering over the lid of her cup, Daisy began, “So my wonderful hero, the man who helped me and gave me a ride on his trusty steed, you have a name?”

“Robbie Reyes,” the man replied a little reluctantly. Daisy let out a small “hmm” sound. Robbie Reyes. That was a rather cool name. It almost sounded like the name of a spy or perhaps of a vigilante with a passion for vengeance. Clearly the man was not like that, but he did have a certain air to him as if he could fight every person in that bar if she asked him to. It was kind of like how she felt when she was with May or Coulson. Brushing away those thoughts, Daisy asked another question after she took a sip of the warm coffee. 

“So, Robbie, where are you from?” Daisy asked before she continued on, “I can tell you do not have a British accent and rather have an American one. What’s a guy like you doing out all the way over here in Prague?” The girl watched as Robbie took a sip of his own coffee before he answered. 

“I can ask you the same thing…what is a girl like you doing out here, running from a bunch of people?”

“True. That’s a fair point,” Daisy conceded, “I was running away from some people who had mistakenly thought that I was someone famous. I think the paparazzi. I’m often told that I look like that one actress from that television show about those secret agents who go around helping superheroes. I haven’t finished it yet. I stopped halfway through season one, but I heard that the fourth season gets really good, so I am planning on picking it back up when I return from this trip.” Daisy bit her lip to try and stop herself from speaking anymore. She tended to ramble when she met someone new and she hoped that she had not scared him off.

However, those thoughts were quickly displaced as Robbie responded, “Yeah, I can kind of see it, but I think that you are definitely prettier than her.” Daisy felt herself blush at the comment but tried to hide it by focusing on the breathing techniques that May had taught her. She was about to comment that he himself didn’t look too and either, but Robbie continued speaking.

“Besides, I think you more look like the president’s daughter,” Robbie stated as he took another swig of his coffee. Daisy held her breath. Did he recognize her? What was she going to do? There went her chance of having freedom. Fully engrossed in trying to come up with a response, Daisy was shaken out of her thoughts when Robbie spoke again. 

“But she has long hair and the nose is kind of wrong. If you end up needing a job, you could always dress up as an impersonator for her.” Daisy let out a shaky laugh in response. He did not think it was her. That was great. 

“Yeah, well I’ll keep that in mind,” The girl replied with what she hoped appeared to be a cheeky grin, “But back to you, tell me where you’re from. Or I don’t know what’s your favorite color? Or what’s your favorite hobby?” Daisy watched as Robbie leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms as he smiled back at her.

“Okay, okay, Chica. You win,” Robbie started as he raised his hands in mock surrender, “I am from California, but I am here on I guess what one might call an internship.” Daisy raised one of her eyebrows, fixing the man with a questioning stare, but Robbie did not elaborate. Continuing, he stated, “My favorite color is burnt orange, although I have recently begun to think that blue might be becoming my new favorite, specifically the color of the sky. And I like to work on old cars in my spare time. I have a sweet 1969 Dodge Charger that I have been fixing up lately. There’s something wrong with the engine. It keeps overheating. But enough about that, are my answers adequate for you?” 

Daisy nodded her head and began to reply, “Well, my name is Daisy, just Daisy. My favorite color is the shade of blue right before the sky turns dark. I like to use computers and I like to kickbox.” Daisy watched as the man quickly glanced at his watch before looking at her with a small smile on his face.

“Very interesting. I think it’s cool that you work with computers. In fact, I was having a computer problem yesterday maybe you could—,” Robbie started but was interrupted by his phone ringing. Daisy watched as he stared at it for a few seconds before he looked back up at her, slightly hesitating. 

“Hey, I’m so sorry, but I have to take this call outside. I think that it’s some of my friends at the hostel I’m staying at. It’ll be quick.” In response, Daisy reassured her new friend that he was okay and that she would not mind remaining in the booth. She was facing away from the bar’s entrance, so she could not seem him leave, but she could hear his footsteps as he left the bar and the sound of the door as he shut the door behind him. Not liking the absence of his presence, Daisy pulled her phone from her jacket’s pocket and scrolled through her Instagram feed. Trying not to fall asleep to the slow folk song that was playing over the bar’s speakers, Daisy hoped that Robbie would not be too long. She finally felt like she was becoming friends with someone who saw her as herself and not the president’s daughter.

* * *

Shutting the door behind him, Robbie Reyes walked down the street a few feet away from the bar. Approaching a car that was parked off to the side of the building, the man leaned against the hood of the SUV. Upon hearing a window being rolled down, Robbie slightly turned his head towards the newly opened window. 

“You know, there are normal ways to greet a person, rather than rather creepily waiting for them. Besides, what took you so long?” Robbie said.

“Yeah, but then it ruins the effect,” came a man’s joking voice from inside the car. Robbie could practically imagine the man’s partner rolling her eyes at the man’s statement. However, before he could come up with a sarcastic response, the woman inside the car spoke.

“Why the hell did you take off Agent Reyes? You should have stopped her right outside the concert.”

Robbie let out a slight scoff, “And let the first daughter make a scene with all of those photographers around?” Turning to lean inside the window, Robbie looked into the car meeting the eyes of the agents inside. 

“Anyways, Coulson and May, she’s right inside, hiding in one of the booths, practically half asleep. I’m sure she will go pretty easy,” the man continued as he began to turn towards his bike, “I’ll check in with you later.”

As he was walking away, Robbie could barely hear May make some sort of teasing comment about how tall he was and heard Coulson sputter in protest, saying that Robbie was barely taller than him. Shaking his head at the two agents’ oblivious flirting, Robbie swung his leg over the motorcycle and reached for the ignition. The young man paused for a second, somewhat sad that he could not continue his conversation with Daisy. She seemed like a nice person. Sure, there would never be a chance that the two of them could ever be more than friends. She was the president’s daughter, but it was still nice to have a good friend, something he was lacking in. The life of a spy did not allow for many long-lasting relationships to be built.

Robbie had started his bike and was about to drive off, but he was interrupted by his phone ringing. Stopping the engine, he let out a soft curse. What now? Assuming it was one of his superior officers nagging him about one of his reports, Robbie raised the phone to his ear and answered the phone.

“What the hell do you want now?”

“Robbie Reyes,” came an authoritative voice over the phone.

Robbie felt his body cringe in response. “Mr. President. Hello.”

“I want you to keep our daughter,” the president stated.

“Sir?”

“Make sure she has no idea who you are.”

“But, sir…” Robbie began.

“Coulson and May are being informed of the plan as we speak.”

Robbie looked off to the side in disbelief at what the president was asking of him. “Mr. President, with all due respect…”

“With all due respect, you mean accepting this duty without no protest, Reyes?”

“My apologies Mr. President,” Robbie replied. He did not want to get on the president’s bad side. There were rumors that the man had to sides of him, loving and caring to his wife and daughter, but intimidating and bold to his adversaries.

“I know my daughter. Without high-speed internet and clean sheets, she will be begging to come home before you know it.”

“What if she doesn’t?” questioned the young agent.

“The point is to get a little teenage rebellion out of Daisy’s system, without risk to you or revealing your identity. Ever. That’s paramount, Reyes.” And with that statement, the president abruptly ending the call, leaving Robbie staring at his phone as he stood on the cobblestone street. Hearing footsteps approaching him, the man looked up to see May and Coulson approach him. 

“She’s all yours,” Coulson told him as he gave a strong pat on Robbie’s shoulder with a quick chuckle. May was less tactile but looked Robbie in the eyes and stated in a serious tone, “Reyes, if you hurt my girl, you will answer directly to me. And whatever crimes I commit against you, remember, I have diplomatic immunity in forty-six countries, including Puerto Rico.”

Robbie suddenly felt like it was hard to swallow, the seriousness of May’s statement downright scaring him, and it took a lot to scare him. The young agent watched in morbid fascination, as the woman changed her expression to a smirk in a matter of seconds as she continued speaking, “We’ll be right behind you, but thanks for taking off the heavy work.”

Robbie raised his hand in the okay symbol, a hint of sarcasm in the action. He hated lying to people. Sure, he was good at it. He was the top agent in his class when he graduated from the CIA. However, it didn’t lessen the pain of getting close to people. Watching as Agent Coulson gave May his hand to help May into the car and the woman’s eye-roll in response, Robbie’s annoyance grew. Those two needed to get a room. There were bets among the CIA, the FBI, and the NSA on whether the two agents were married. Shoving those thoughts to the back of his mind, Robbie watched as their SUV drove down the street and off into a wide alley where the agents would wait to tail Robbie and Daisy to wherever they went next.

It was a good thing that the agents had left then, because a few minutes after they had left, Daisy came out of the bar, her hands holding their cups of coffee.

“Did the phone call go well? Are your friends okay?” Daisy asked as she gazed up at him, a concerned look in her eyes. Robbie held back a frustrated sigh. Her eyes would be the death of him, the deep brown conveying so many emotions. It was at that moment that he knew any lies he would tell her would hurt him to the core.

“Yeah. They’re good. Two of them are in a relationship so they’re glad for the alone time. It’s going to be just me and you for a while.” There. That wasn’t a complete lie. 

“Sounds good,” Daisy replied a soft smile on her lips. 

The sight of her in a dark leather jacket and her hair cut shorter made her look more carefree and adventurous than the pictures he always saw in the different news reports. Robbie was glad that she would get more freedom and a chance to see Europe, but the young agent felt like eventually, the whole ruse her father planned would catch up to them. Robbie did not even want to think of how Daisy would feel when she eventually found out, but for now, he needed to focus on the present and fulfilling his duty. 

Grabbing Daisy’s hand and pulling her to the bike, he hopped on and started the engine. Briefly turning around, he put his helmet on her head despite her protests. As he tightened the size of the helmet, his knuckles brushed her cheek, the softness of it overwhelming him so much that he quickly drew his hand away. Turning back to the front, Robbie felt Daisy’s arms circle around him. He tried not to acknowledge how good it felt, but a small part of him did. 

Revving the engine, Robbie yelled over his shoulder to Daisy, “So, where to now?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a really hard, but fun chapter to write! I am glad to be welcoming Robbie to the story. Also, I filled this chapter with many easter eggs. Any guesses? I'll give a hint that one is a quote from a movie that is not in Marvel.  
Like always, comments and kudos are appreciated!
> 
> If anyone ever wants to cry over philinda or quakerider, my tumblr is humans-must-be-the-heroes.


	5. The Rooftop

“This is amazing” yelled Daisy as she and Robbie walked down one of Prague’s cobblestone streets, gaining a few annoyed glances from the people walking nearby. Daisy quickly apologized to them, a small smile on her face. It had been a couple of hours since they had left the bar and the sky was even darker. However, this was not a problem because the streets were lined with numerous shops and restaurants that were opened late to cater to the nightlife. The yellow light of the streetlamps cast a warm glow over the street, causing Daisy to feel a sense of calmness. This must be what freedom feels like, Daisy thought as she let out a soft laugh.

“What’s so funny?” Robbie said, glancing over at the girl as they walked past a bakery and down towards the river. They had been walking for the past few hours without a plan, but Daisy was having fun and that was his assignment so there wasn’t anything they really needed to do. Plus, he had some ideas tucked away for later. 

“Nothing,” Daisy replied as they walked down a small set of steps that led to a path that trailed alongside the Vltava River. Even though it was around ten o clock at night, there were still a few couples walking the path. On the side of the path not by the river, stood restaurants with patios that allowed customers to overlook the river. Daisy could hear the sound of laughter and silverware hitting plates as they walked over to a tree by the edge of the water and leaned against it. The girl tilted her head to the sky and breathed in the night air. Stars graced the night sky even with the light pollution from the numerous buildings. 

Looking over to her new partner in crime, Daisy commented, “It’s a beautiful night out. The river seems calm and the people here are happy.”

“It is,” Robbie agreed from his position leaning against the tree.

“But you know what would make me happy right now?” Daisy questioned with almost a sly look on her face. 

“No. What would that be?” Robbie responded. He really did not know what the girl wanted. There were only so many things that one could do at night in Prague and Robbie knew that the girl had already been to the club and a bar. Which eliminates many of the opened businesses.

“Something crazy,” Daisy said with a broad smile on her face, eyes widening as she exclaimed,” Like this!” 

Before Robbie could even count to three, the girl took off running into the river. 

“Oh no, no, no, “Robbie started as he reached as far as he could on the bank that would allow him not to get wet. “Daisy, please would you get out of there? Who knows what type of bacteria is in that.”

However, despite his protests, the girl continued to splash in the shallow end and danced around to some imaginary song only she could hear. Robbie was glad the girl was having fun, but she seriously needed to stop. They would soon be drawing a scene and those scenes often came with cameras. All of a sudden, Daisy started to go deeper into the water, almost waist-deep. Knowing that he had no choice but to stop her now before it escalated, Robbie threw off his jacket and followed the girl into the water. Quickly pushing through the water, the man came to where Daisey was standing and before the girl could get any further, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her back towards the riverbank. 

“No, stop,” Daisy said between laughing fits as she tried to kick out her legs in an attempt to free herself from the man’s grip, “I want to have fun.” In the back of her mind, Daisy knew that it was probably a bad idea to be making such a show, but she couldn’t help herself. She felt like she was drunk on happiness.

“We need to get out of this river before people start to stare at us,” Robbie said as he stepped back out of the river, lifting the girl up onto the grass. Depositing Daisy by the tree they were leaning against earlier, the man took stock of their appearances. His jeans were soaked all the way to the hem of his shirt. It wasn’t comfortable, but Daisy was looking worse. Not only were her jeans wet, but her shirt was soaked to just above her waist. Looking around at the people who were eating outside, Robbie saw more than a few staring at them. 

“Hey,” Robbie said as he picked up both their jackets were they had been thrown on the grass, “Why don’t we find a store where we can get some warm clothes.” The sooner that they would get away from the restaurants, the easier it would be to not draw any more attention to themselves. Giving his hand to Daisy, the man pulled her up from where she was sitting against the tree. Once the girl was standing, Robbie held up Daisy’s jacket, helping her put it on before he put on his own.

“Yeah. That sounds good,” Daisy responded, a warm smile on her face.

* * *

“This won’t do, May,” Coulson said as he looked over at his partner, “What does Reyes think he is doing, letting her go into the river like that?”

“I don’t know. Daisy can be a hard person to say no to,” May responded as she watched the scene below, “But at least there doesn’t seem to any trouble yet.”

However, from their position standing against the stone wall of the restaurant, agents May and Coulson could hear the sound of a camera clicking, echoing throughout the outdoor seating of the restaurant. A man in his early forties was sitting his wife, obviously both wealthy tourists, and was watching at the scene that was unfolding below by the edge of the river. As one expects from a tourist, the man had a camera and was looking for anything that seemed out of the ordinary. Glancing at May, Coulson shared a look with her. They both knew what they had to do. It was time to intervene. 

Walking up behind the man, Coulson spoke in an authoritative voice, “We’d like to buy that camera.”

“Why would I do—,”

As the man looked at the sound of the voice, a pair of badges appeared in his face. Coulson smirked as the man looked at their badges, his eyes growing wide as he let out an “oh” sound. Grabbing a wad of cash from her jacket, May gave the man the money as Coulson took the camera from him. May smirked as she heard Coulson say, “Lovely doing business with you.” That man and his damn one-liners. 

May started to walk down to the path so that they could tail Daisy and Reyes, when she felt a tug on her elbow as Coulson started, “Honey…”

May turned around as she arched one eyebrow at her partner. Honey? Really? What was he playing at? This had to be one of his jokes. The female agent watched as Coulson handed the camera back to the man as he said, “Here, we need a picture taken. You know…one for the kids.”

Barely containing her eye-roll, Melinda felt her partner press up against her side and wrap an arm around her shoulders, bringing her impossibly closer. She had to close her eyes for a brief second, Coulson’s closeness overwhelming her. It was very rare when they were that close to each other. May felt the Coulson’s left hand squeeze her shoulder as if to try and get her to focus on the camera. 

To make matters worse as her partner tauntingly told her to smile, Coulson pressed his face next to the top of her head, barely leaning his head on top of hers. Damn this man and his stupid height difference and his stupid warm embrace. Watching as the man, who they had originally taken the camera from, take the picture, Melinda let a small smile show on her face, playful annoyance evident in her eyes. Hopefully one day she could see what the picture would turn out to be.

* * *

It had been an hour since her swim in the river and Daisy had never felt more alive. Sure, right after she had been dragged out of the water by Robbie, the night air made her feel incredibly cold, but once they bought warm clothes and changed, she felt fine. They were currently walking down a path to one of the larger squares that Prague was famous for. It was a nice night. There were only a few people out on the street, but Daisy knew that once they reached the square there would be more. 

As they approached the end of the path, Daisy heard loud music playing and the sound of many voices talking. That was strange. It had to be at least two o clock in the morning. What were so many people doing out this late in the street?

“Hey, Robbie,” Daisy began, “What is that noise? Where is it coming from?” His dark brown eyes met here, amusement shining in them.

“You’ll see Chica,” the man said, but before he could truly answer her, they had rounded the corner and came into the main square, meeting with the source of the noise. In the large space was a movie being displayed onto a giant screen that was secured on the side of the buildings.

“Ah!” The girl exclaimed, “I love this movie!” The movie that was being shown was a classic American film, but the audio was in Czech. There was a huge crowd of people sitting in front of the screen, some at tables and others with blankets. The volume of the movie was incredibly loud, probably too loud, but the sound of voices could still be heard over the sound of it. 

“Where would you like to sit?” Robbie asked her as he looked around the square. Daisy assumed that he was looking for spots where they could sit, but she could not be too sure. It looked as if he was looking for someone. But that was absurd. It was just the too of them. Pushing those thoughts to the back of her mind, Daisy refocused on the man’s question.

“Hmmm,” Daisy started as she looked around the square, “It looks fairly crowded.” The girl let her gaze shift from where the people were sitting to the buildings that formed the square. After searching her surroundings for a few moments, Daisy found where she wanted to sit and turned to Robbie.

“Up there,” the girl said as she pointed up to the roofs of one of the buildings. Daisy held her breath in anticipation as she watched Robbie mull over her request. Sure, she knew that it was probably not the safest option, but it was the best way for them to watch the opera in an uncrowded area. Plus, she was having her own adventure and that was usually when people do risky and daring actions. At least, that’s what the books she read told her. 

“Fine,” Robbie said before quickly getting interrupted by a happy squeal from Daisy, “However, we have to be careful. I don’t want to get fined for trespassing or fall off in my sleep.”

Nodding her head in agreement, Daisy grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the doorway of the building that would take them to the top. Fortunately, instead of someone’s house, the building they had walked into was a small hotel that appeared expensive, its lobby designed as if it was an old train car. Approaching the desk, Daisy formulated how they would get past the man who was attending it. Barely having time to think, the girl blurted out the first thing that came to her mind.  
“Uhm, excuse me, sir. Do you speak English?” Daisy said with a face that she hoped looked like a confused tourist.

“Of course,” the man replied in heavily-accented English. He was wearing a dark suit and tie, but the restaurant employee had a friendly disposition that made Daisy believe they could pull this off, “How may I be of service?”

“Can you recommend a restaurant around here?” Daisy asked as she showed the man a map of Prague that she had quietly stolen from Robbie’s bag when he bought them dry clothes. Daisy watched as the man though her request over in his head, but before he could answer her Robbie interrupted. 

“Someplace affordable with big portions,” Robbie added as he slid an arm around Daisy’s shoulder and brought her next to him in a side embrace. Daisy could feel the warmth of his hand through her shirt. It was distracting yet comfortable. Did he know how we affected her? But she knew that she could not think of him that way. They had just met.

The man looked at them with a broad smile and excitement in his eyes, “Ah, you two are looking for something romantic, no?”

“Yes, please,” Daisy said as she drawled out the words. Quickly reflecting on how Robbie had thrown his arm around her shoulders, Daisy felt like it was only fair that she gets to have some undercover fun herself. Two could play at that game. Reaching her hand around Robbie’s neck without waiting for his response, the girl pulled his head towards her, leaving a short kiss on his cheek before returning to talk with the hotel employee. If she had looked a moment longer, she would have noticed the stunned look on Robbie’s face, but as is often the case, she didn’t see it.

“My boyfriend and I are celebrating our six month anniversary with a whirlwind trip all over Europe,” Daisy said with a quick laugh, “Well, technically six months ago, but he didn’t ask me out until last month, so our official one month anniversary isn’t until next Saturday.” Daisy could tell that her ruse had gotten the man’s attention and that he clearly had bought their story. However, Daisy continued to use her acting skills that she had learned during drama class at her high school and leaned up to talk to the man. 

“I think he found me intimidating,” Daisy said in a secretive tone. However, Daisy knew that was probably wrong. How could Robbie find her even remotely intimidating? Sure, she was wearing black leather, but that did not mean anything. Oh well, it was their cover stories that were the ones who were actually dating.  
“Young love. It’s so confusing,” the man replied as he glanced between the two.

“Is it?” Daisy asked as she moved the hand that was on Robbie’s neck to settle by his left shoulder blade, rubbing the muscle there in what she hoped looked like an affectionate girlfriend. Public displays of affection made people very uncomfortable, right? 

“It is,” the man replied, “But let me go grab the brochures from the office. They have some lovely places for two lovebirds like you.”

Daisy and Robbie held their positions as the man walked across the hall, but as soon as he entered the other room, the two separated as if they were touched by fire. Robbie silently motioned Daisy to follow him to the back of the hotel where the stairs were located. Careful not to step on any loose-looking boards, Daisy followed behind Robbie as they climbed the stairs and up into the night air. The roof of the hotel was small and slanted. They would have to climb a little way up to the roof if they wanted to sit in the small space formed at the top. Following Robbie, Daisy watched where he put his feet as they climbed up the slanted staccato roof and up onto the small area where they would sit. Only once did her foot slip, but the girl was able to regain her footing before she could slip too far. Grabbing onto the hand that Robbie had offered, Daisy let herself be pulled on top of the roof and into the smaller area. They did not have any soft cushions to lean against on the hard-stone roof, but the view was worth it. 

Daisy believed that from that very spot she could see all of Prague. To the right she could see the river and far off in the distance, the girl could see the museum where the banquet was held. Had it only been a few hours since she had been there? It seemed like it had been days. Watching as Robbie pulled out a camera from his bag, Daisy began to wonder if the man had a passion for it. He did not seem like the man who would be into that sort if thing. He seemed more like he would be into working on old cars and refurbishing them. However, Daisy had just met the man. She barely knew him at all. Wanting to find something to talk about with the man, Daisy brought her attention to the screen. Noticing what scene was happening, Daisy leaned over to talk to Robbie. 

“I love this part,” Daisy began, “The man and the woman have been emailing each other, but they do not know that it was each other. They start as enemies because the man owns a chain bookstore and it causes the small bookstore to close. But in this scene, the guy knows that she is the one who he has been writing to him, but she still doesn’t know. So, from this point on he doesn’t tell her, but instead befriends her so that if she finds out she wouldn’t think that he would hate her.” Daisy watched as Robbie turned to face her from his position beside her. 

“But isn’t it bad that he is lying to her?” Robbie said, “She does not know who he really is. I would think that she would feel betrayed if she found out.”  
Daisy pondered over Robbie’s question for a few seconds before answering. Sure, if she were being lied to, she would want to know; however, the guy in the movie was keeping the truth from the girl for a good reason, so it would probably be okay in his case. 

“Sure, it could always backfire on him,” Daisy said with a small shrug, “But lucky for him, that does not happen. I think that she was happy when she found out because she was secretly longing for it to be him all along. So, I guess I think it depends on the situation.”

“Hmmm,” Robbie said in response, clearly contemplating what the girl had told him. Daisy wondered why he was taking her response so seriously. It was just a movie.  
Daisy was just about to settle into her spot beside him once more when Robbi held up the camera he was holding and repositioned himself in front of her. 

“How about a picture to commemorate this fun adventure,” said Robbie with a small smile. Daisy knew that he wasn’t an extremely expressive man and that he would rather keep things to himself. She had only known him for a day, and she could already tell these things from his body language. The girl had no idea what she would have done if she would have never met him. She would have for sure not escaped her father’s security detail. The least she could do was let this man take a picture. Besides, Daisy herself wanted something to commemorate their little adventure. The girl had no idea how long he would stay with her. He would definitely have better plans then to accompany her to the love parade in Berlin. 

Making sure that her hair looked okay, Daisy leaned against the wall of the small cubby in the rooftop and gave the man a bright smile. 

“Okay, stay still. Just like that,” Robbie said squinting into the viewfinder on the camera. The camera clicked twice and a bright flash appeared. As he set his camera to the side, Robbie looked into her eyes, his own dark ones sparkling in the moonlight, and said, “Perfect.”

Daisy felt a warm sensation at the man’s comment and tried to push it away. He was a man that she had just met that very day. She could not fall in love with him. Not yet at least. It was too soon, and she knew little about him. However, the girl could not help herself as she scooted closer to Robbie and leaned her head on his shoulder and began to watch the movie before them. Daisy felt the man still, but he did not ask her to move, so that was a plus. The girl told herself that her behavior was just because she needed someplace to put her head for when she would fall asleep. But deep down, she knew it was a lie. 

As the movie’s music echoed throughout the square, Daisy felt her eyelids begin to feel heavy and closed her eyes, letting herself succumb to sleep.

* * *

“Reyes just sent the signal,” Melinda May said from her position by the edge of rooftop watching as a camera flashed, “Looks like they are staying there for the night, so we won’t have to move until morning.” 

“Sounds good,” replied her partner Phil Coulson as he walked over to the nearby wall and slumped against it, “My feet hurt.” May let out a hum in agreement as she abandoned her spot by the edge and sat a few feet away from him. That was completely understandable. They had been trailing Liberty on foot since the river trail. She couldn’t believe that Daisy hadn’t stopped sooner. Coulson and she were currently on the roof a building that was a block away. Their position was close enough that they could receive the signals from Reyes, but far enough away that Daisy wouldn’t be able to see them. 

Taking her short heels off, May lengthened her legs out in front of her and pulled her jacket closer around her. Both her and Coulson had been wearing the civilian clothes that they had at the club. She had on a leather jacket with a t-shirt and jeans. Her partner was also casually dressed for their undercover job, wearing a t-shirt with jeans as well but with a thicker jacket than hers.

May watched as Coulson pulled out his phone and looked at the screen before he uttered a soft curse. 

“What’s wrong?” May inquired.

“It’s my phone it’s low on charge. I was going to read a new book on there that I got about Steve Rogers and his involvement in World War II,” her partner replied with a dejected look on his face.

May smiled at her partner’s words. He was such a nerd. But he was her nerd.

“Well,” Melinda began as she tilted her head to look at him from the position she was sitting in, “I would offer you my phone, but we need at least one phone to have battery so we can be in contact with Reyes and the President. I have a few case files that I borrowed from Hill and snuck in my purse. I think I am going to be reading those. You can read one if you like.”

“Nah, I think I’ll just take a quick nap while we wait,” Coulson replied as he hunched further into his coat, shifting a little closer to her as he said, “Wake me up when you want me to take over.”

May nodded her head in response and grabbed one of the case files from her bag. The movie that they were playing didn’t really interest her. She had seen it a thousand times already when one of her college roommates had dragged her to see it five times when it came out in theaters. Besides, it was in Czech and that was not one of the languages that she had mastered. As Melinda opened the file, she was glad that the city was well lit at night. It would have been hard to read without a flashlight and she had to conserve her phone’s battery until they could get to an area with a power outlet. Taking out a pen, the woman began to read the files and write notes in the margins. 

She had to have been reading for a couple of hours when she felt a sudden weight upon her shoulder. Startled out of her reading, the woman looked to the side and saw that Coulson had shifted in his sleep, his head now resting on her shoulder. She should have probably woken him up then. She was feeling exhausted herself. It was early in the morning, no sign of daybreak, and the events of the day were catching up to her. However, May also knew that her partner had been recently complaining about his lack of sleep and she wanted to make sure that he took care of himself. Since he wasn’t always doing it, she took it upon herself to take care of him when he worked himself to exhaustion. 

Gently shifting herself closer to the man, Melinda let her head rest softly beside his and continued to read the file in front of her. It was only a few moments later when the words on the page began to blur and it became harder to keep her eyes open. Setting the file to the side, Melinda folded her arms across herself and lightly closed her eyes. She would just rest her eyes for a moment and then she would go back to keeping watch. However, within minutes, the woman quickly fell asleep as she leaned against her partner and for the rest of the night, all of Prague continued to celebrate and party, unaware of the love story that was only just beginning and the one that had begun such a long time ago.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a challenging but fun chapter to write. I have also included a few easter eggs in this chapter. Let me know if you find them! One easter egg is quoted from the show and the other is a famous movie (hint the one that is being played in the square). As always, comments and kudos are highly appreciated! 
> 
> If anyone wants to cry over philinda or quakerider, my tumblr is humans-must-be-the-heroes.


	6. The Mishap

As Melinda May’s eyes fluttered open, the soft light from the rising sun shown into her eyes, waking her up. As her mind was still foggy with sleep, Melinda tried to remember what she had last been doing before she had fallen asleep. She had been reading case files and keeping an eye on Daisy. Slightly closing her eyes, Melinda knew that she needed to get up and refocus on watching the girl, but she felt so comfortable where she was lying, her pillow soft and the blanket warm. Wait a minute. Melinda’s eyes flew open as she tried to control her breathing. 

Last time Melinda checked she had been on top of a hard roof with no bed. Why did she feel as if she had just slept the most comfortable, she had in years? It was then that Melinda fully became aware of her surroundings. Her head was not lying on a pillow, but on Phil Coulson’s lap and the blanket she thought was draped over her was actually his jacket. Melinda knew that once she actually got up, she probably wouldn’t hear the end of it from her partner, but she wished she could stay like that forever. It had been a long time since she had someone looking after her, protecting her while she slept. The woman let herself enjoy one more second of Phil’s warmth, the closeness of his body, before easing herself up. 

Brushing her hair out of her face, Melinda averted her eyes from the man’s as he said, “Sleep well?”

The woman nodded in response, focusing on folding his jacket so that she could delay having to look at the man’s face, afraid of what she would see there. Would he be mad at her for having fallen asleep on the job? Would he be upset that she had not wakened him up? Or maybe, just maybe, would he have that soft look in his eyes, the one that made her knees weak?

Melinda began to rise to her feet when she felt a hand on her arm tugging her back down. She couldn’t avoid the man’s eyes any longer. She had to know what he wanted. Letting her eyes drift up to meet his, the woman took stock of her partner’s appearance. He was still wearing the jeans and t-shirt that he was wearing at the club, but they were more wrinkled than before, his hair slightly disheveled. Looking into the man’s ocean-blue eyes, Melinda raised an eyebrow as to question what he had wanted. 

“Hold on,” the man began, “Your hair is a little messed up.” The woman could definitely believe that she always had bad bedhead hair, but that was not something that a mirror couldn’t help. They had to go out and buy new clothes and toiletries anyway. However, before the woman could tell him that, his hand reached out, stopping any words that were about to come out of her mouth. 

Gently, as if almost afraid that he would scare her away, Phil’s hand brushed the strands of hair out of her eyes. Melinda was about to thank him and get up when his motions continued, stopping her movements. The woman watched as the man let a soft smile show on his face as he nudged her knee, signaling for her to turn her back to him. She let a wary look show on her face but did what he told her nonetheless. She would always trust him. Turning her back to him, Melinda folded her legs beneath her as she felt him lean close to her, his chest nearly touching her. 

The man began to run his fingers through her hair, catching on the tangles. The woman closed her eyes, as she felt him work at the tangles in her hair, ever so gently as if not to hurt her, but he could never hurt her. The feeling of his hands in her hair felt heavenly and the woman knew that she should have told him to stop, that she would be fine, but she couldn’t form the words. Surely this meant that he could possibly return her feelings. The gentleness at which he was detangling her the knots in her hair suggested that he cared for her, but to what extent? He could just view her as a long-time friend and partner. After all, partners looked out for each other, right? And that was what he was doing. 

The woman felt that her hair had been fully detangled, but for some reason unbeknownst to her, his hands still ran through her hair. Maybe there was dirt in it from the roof? Melinda stopped trying to figure out why he was doing so and instead focused on controlling her breathing. She couldn’t let him know how he affected her. She had been doing so well at hiding her feelings towards him for the past years, but recently it seemed like it was harder to do so. 

A beeping from her phone startled the pair, Phil’s hands dropping from her hair as Melinda jerked around to grab the phone from her bag. Melinda frantically searched through her bag, hands grabbing at various items that had somehow accumulated in it. Finally finding her phone, the woman stood up, her knees stiff from sitting for so long. As she opened her texts, Melinda watched as her partner also rose from the ground, brushing off his pants and putting on his jacket from where she had folded it.

After reading her texts, Melinda looked up saying, “Reyes texted. He says that Daisy just woke up and that they are going to be eating breakfast at a place called the Coffee Factory. It’s located at Legerova 48. He says that it is about a fifteen-minute walk from here and that they are going to be leaving to walk there in about 40 minutes. That gives us plenty of time to get a change of clothes.”

“Sounds good,” Phil said as he made to grab her bag.

“Oh no, you don’t have to do that,” Melinda stated, “I can carry it.” 

“I got it,” her partner reassured, “I’ll just hold onto it until we get our change of clothes. 

Melinda smiled in response as she walked over to the door that lead to the stairs that would take them to the street. Opening the door, the woman hesitated slightly before turning around.

“Thank you.”

“For what?” her partner questioned.

“You know,” Melinda said as she pointed vaguely at her hair, “My hair. It feels a lot better.”

“You’re welcome,” Phil said a soft smile on his face, an even softer look in his eyes, “It wasn’t a problem, I just wanted to help you in any way that I can.”

The woman let a smile form on her face as she reached out a hand to touch his own hair. Fixing the disheveled hair as her fingers brushed through the soft strands. Sure, his hairline wasn’t as full as when she first met him, but he was still as handsome as the day Fury had introduced her to him. In fact, she would say that he had become even more handsome with age. She wondered what his hair would look like if it was slightly shorter. He would probably be too handsome for her to be able to hide her attraction towards him. 

Pushing away those thoughts, Melinda let her hand drop and began to walk down the stairs as she said, “We should probably get a move on. We need to find new clothes before we have to tail Daisy and Reyes.”

As usual, if the woman had not been so focused on her own thoughts, she would have noticed the slight hitch in the man’s breath as her fingers were in his hair and the way his eyes nearly closed at her touch. But she didn’t and so her partner followed her down the stairs, with every step trying to calm his beating heart.

* * *

“This is such a cool café,” Daisy said as she walked into the café, Robbie holding the door for her.

The inside of the café was definitely modern, yet there was a hint of traditionalism. The walls were made of white brick and the floor of white tile. The counter was made of a large piece of light-brown wood and above it hanged a black chalkboard with different drinks and food listed. Next to the counter was a long wooden table with orange bar stools around it, clearly, a place was a large group of friends could sit and hang out. To the side of that long table were a few smaller, wooden tables that were for two people. While all of this made the café look like a nice place to have breakfast, what really made the café stand out was that on one of the white, brick walls was a large mural of Captain America, the Hulk, and Bucky Barnes from the famous comics Coulson used to read to her as a child.

“It is,” Robbie said as they approached the counter. It only took them a few minutes to know what they would like to order. Daisy had made sure ahead of time to ask Robbie if she could look at his phone for the menu. He had seemed a little skeptical when he handed over his phone as if she would find something on there she wouldn’t like. However, Daisy valued privacy and she knew Robbie did as well, so she did not look through his texts. Who Robbie texted and did not text did not concern her. It wasn’t like she was his girlfriend or anything. 

Smiling at the old man behind the cash register, apparently named something that rhymed with Dan or Van according to his weathered and wrinkled name tag that was pinned to his light green sweater vest, Daisy said, “I will have the Captain America Cappuccino and a bagel.”

“And I will have the Excelsior Double Espresso and a bagel as well.”

“Alright,” the old man said with a knowing yet secretive smile most of his face hidden behind shaded aviators and a thick gray mustache, “Love seeing you together. You always were my favorites.”

Facing Daisy, the man continued, “Keep an eye on this one, I hear that he can sometimes be a little hot-headed.”

Turning to Robbie the man said, “And you, mister, keep an eye on your gal, she can sometimes be a little unpredictable sometimes, like an earthquake.”

Both Daisy and Robbie gave the man a confused, but polite smile as the man handed them their order. Walking over to one of the tables at the side of the wall, the pair sat down with their respective orders. 

“You know that guy?” Daisy asked as she took a bit of her bagel.

“Nah, never met him,” Robbie replied after taking a sip of his espresso, “You?”

“Me neither, but I feel like I should,” Daisy replied, taking a quick sip of her cappuccino as she replied, “But hey, we should probably leave soon even though we just got here. We need to catch a train.”

“And why would we do that?” Robbie asked as he took a bite of his bagel.

“Because we’re going to the love parade,” Daisy said in a tone that made it seem like it was an obvious thing. She couldn’t remember if she had told him or not about it. Watching as Robbie raised a dark eyebrow in response, she assumed she hadn’t. Quickly speaking before he had a chance to, the girl added, “Unless you don’t want to come with me? But I am definitely going.”

Daisy watched as Robbie mulled over her words, drinking the last of his espresso. She wanted him to say yes, but she couldn’t force him to. He had already done so much for her. The girl could understand why he wouldn’t want to tag along. He probably had other plans. 

“Fine,” Robbie replied, “I’ll tag along. When is the train? The station is at least twenty minutes from here.”

Daisy wrung her hands as she responded, “Heh, funny thing actually. Our train leaves in thirty minutes.”

“What?!” Robbie responded shooting out of his seat and throwing away his empty espresso cup in the trash. Daisy watched as the man grabbed her cappuccino from the table and wrapped her bagel in a napkin, stuffing it in the pocket of his leather jacket. The girl quickly stood up from the chair and sensing the man’s urgency, followed him out the door. 

If she had turned her head ever so slightly and had not been so rushed heading out of the café, she would have seen the old man at the register shaking hands with a small Asian woman and giving a hug to a middle-aged man with thinning hair. Moreover, if Daisy had simply turned to smile goodbye at the old man, she would have heard the old man congratulate the couple on having completed seven seasons of life and she would have seen the confusion on the pair’s faces as they thanked the man, not knowing what he meant by that.

However, as one can already tell from this story, things often go unnoticed, and so, momentarily forgetting the shop behind her, Daisy raced after Robbie as they ran down the cobblestone street. But later in life, the girl, though much older then, would think upon her life and remember the small café and the old man who owned it and would simply wonder about how he knew what he knew. Days would pass and pass, but she never forgot. No one ever forgets.

* * *

Racing to the ticket booth, Daisy slammed her hands on the counter as she tried to slow down her breathing. 

“I would like…to…buy…two…tickets, please,” The girl said as she took in deep breaths, handing over the money. Robbie was over on the phone talking to someone. He said it was his friends that were here in Prague and that he needed to let them know that he was leaving at that he was going to be okay. 

As the woman manning the booth gave her the tickets, Daisy looked over to where Robbie was still on the phone, clearly, his friends weren’t taking it well. The girl was about to sit down next to him to wait out his phone call when she heard familiar voices calling her name. 

“Daisy!” shouted Agent Coulson as he looked down at her from a higher floor in the train station. 

The girl watched as Agent May also shouted down at her trying to get her to come with them. Shaking her head in response, the girl watched as the two exchanged looks and then quickly turn around, no doubt coming to get her. How had they even found her? 

Jerking herself out of her thoughts, Daisy grabbed Robbie by the jacket sleeve and forced him to look at her as she forcefully said, “We need to go, now.”

Daisy watched as the man hanged up his phone and nodded his consent. Without thinking too much about it, the girl grabbed his hand and began to pull him to where the trains were boarding. As they got closer to the trains, Robbie began to lead her instead, his long legs allowing him to run faster. Within seconds they were standing in front of the trains. However, Daisy couldn’t tell which one was there’s. They all looked the same with their solid green coloring and white trim. The signs were also in German which made it even harder for her to tell which one was the correct one. 

Grabbing the sleeve of a businessman who was walking past them, Daisy asked, “Which one takes you to Berlin?” 

The man had barely pointed to the train on the right of the tracks, before Daisy quickly let out thanks, pulling Robbie behind her. As they reached the door of the train, Robbie stepped to the side, holding out his hand to help her up the tall stairs of the train. Daisy watched as her new friend took one last look at the station before hopping in. Stumbling through the aisles, the girl came to the first set of empty seats and flung herself into them. Trying to calm her breathing, Daisy watched as Robbie took the seat across from her. 

“We made it,” Daisy said with a relieved smile on her face.

“We did,” Robbie agreed, a small smile growing on his face. He was about to say something more when a young man stumbled by their seats and flung himself into the seat next to Daisy, not even bothering to ask if the seat was taken before he opened his mouth, words flying out at a rapid speed. 

“Hey, fellow travelers. My name is Deke Shaw. I am a tech designer, well let’s say more of a billionaire tech designer,” The man said with a quick wink directed at Daisy, earning a dark look from Robbie in response. Not noticing the tension that was arising the man continued, “I am pleased to make both of your acquaintances. Let me tell you about myself. I’m a billionaire. Oh wait, I already said that, silly me. I love lemons and oranges and Zima. Oh my god, Zima is amazing. Fun fact, I once had a girlfriend named Snowflake. She was very pretty. Well not as pretty as you, fine lady sitting next to me.”

Daisy raised her eyebrow in response, this stranger was quite the character, but before she had a chance to respond that she wasn’t interested the young man continued speaking as he pulled a brightly colored object from his bag.

“Do you like lemons?” The man asked as he reached to hand one to Daisy, “I love lemons. I think they symbolize everything right in the world. We should have them everywhere. On tables, on paintings, in flower vases, on anything imaginable.”

Daisy was about to take the lemon from the man when Robbie’s hand shot out intercepting her. 

“I’ll take that,” Robbie said as he stuffed the lemon in one of his jacket pockets, “You never know what type of poisonous chemicals this guy could have used to grow this thing.”

Daisy raised an eyebrow in response but turned her head to look at Deke who was now sporting a dejected look on his face.

“I think he’s right. I don’t want a lemon right now. I’m trying to stay away. Doctor’s orders,” Daisy joked, trying to dispel some of the tension. She had no clue what was up with Robbie. 

“I understand,” Deke said, back to his cheerful disposition, “Anyway, so what are you to doing when you reach Venice?

Daisy’s eyebrows shot up so high that she must have looked ridiculous. What did he mean by that? Was this some type of joke? The businessman had said that the train they were on was going to Berlin.

Both Daisy and Robbie turned to face each other as they both said at the same time, “Venice?”

* * *

“They’re not here,” May said in an exasperated tone as she met with Coulson in the middle of the train aisle, “I checked the first four cars and no sign of them whatsoever.”

“I checked the last five as well. They’re not there as well,” her partner responded as he threw his hands up in the air. 

Holding back an eye roll at her partner’s antics, she continued, “I just called the President. He says that he’ll text us when they trace Robbie’s phone and see what train he’s on.”

Watching as her partner nodded in agreement, Melinda sat down in one of the seats near the train’s window as Coulson sat next to her. It was only a few short minutes before her phone dinged. Grabbing her phone from her jacket that she was wearing over the new clothes she had bought, Melinda looked to see what had been texted her. As she read the text, the woman let out a long sigh.

“Well, we’re in for a trip.”

“What do you mean? How bad is it?” Her partner asked.

“How does a lovely trip to Venice, Italy sound?” Melinda responded as Coulson leaned in over her shoulder to look at the text. 

“Great,” the man replied in what definitely was not a sarcastic tone. 

Leaning back into her seat, Melinda tucked her phone into her pocket as she closed her eyes. This was going to be a long trip.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a fun chapter to write. Fun Fact: The cafe that Daisy and Robbie go to, Coffee Factory, is an actual restaurant in Prague! It even has the Marvel mural on the wall, so when I was researching different cafes, I knew that I had to add it to the story. Also, I assume that you all can guess who the owner of the store is......Stan Lee! I wanted to find a way to have a cameo in the fic and figured that this would be a good chapter to feature him, especially since tomorrow will be one year since he passed away. I thought it would be cool to honor him. 
> 
> As always, comments and kudos are highly appreciated and if anyone wants to cry over anything Marvel or Agents of Shield, my tumblr is humans-must-be-the-heroes. Excelsior!


	7. Venice

Melinda May stepped off the train and into the glaring sun, her partner following close behind. Raising her hand to shield her eyes, the woman observed her environment. They had gotten off after a few hours on the train. They stopped at the train station where she and Coulson were supposed to meet the secret service’s helicopter that would take them to Venice. From what she could tell, the area they were in would be hard to land a helicopter. Tall mountains encircled the small town where the station was, and a lake was on the other side of the tracks, leaving no room for a helicopter. 

“Where did Fury say the helicopter would land?” asked Melinda as she looked over at her partner.

“He said it was at the edge of town,” Coulson replied as he threw on his signature dark aviators, “But I think we are at the edge of town?”

“Maybe he meant the other side,” Melinda said as she started to walk in the direction of the other side of the small town, “It should only be a twenty-minute walk.”  
The woman heard her partner let out a heavy sigh as he picked up his pace, quickly matching his pace to hers. The walk wasn’t unpleasant, the woman had to admit. The streets they were walking in were made of cobblestone and were lined with three-story buildings. The sun was shining and warm on her face. 

The streets were filled with crowds of people, both tourists, and locals. The street was wide enough to fit all of the crowds, but there were a few corners where the road became narrower. Those areas were the hardest to move through, but the best to avoid attention. They tried to make it through one part of the crowd, but May was getting lost in the crowd due to her small stature, much to her dismay.

Looking back at May as he saw her get elbowed by a tourist walking by, her eyes shining with the threat of attacking the man, Coulson said, “Hey, Grab on to my jacket. That way you won’t get lost and we can move quicker to the helicopter.”

Hesitating for a moment, May reached out to where her partner was standing in front of her and gripped the back of his jacket. The heat of his body radiated even though he was wearing layers of clothes. She was close enough to the man that if she stood up on her toes, she could rest her chin on his shoulder, but she wouldn’t do that. She couldn’t do that. 

As people shoved her left and right, Melinda barely repressed the urge to reach out and punch them. If she wasn’t so focused on staying close to Coulson, she would have noticed that they were nearing the end of the crowds and that there was no need to hold onto her partner anymore. She normally wasn’t so ignorant of her surroundings, but the feeling of his body so close to hers, even if that contact was her hand gripping his shirt and the occasional brush of her chest against his back, made her hyper-aware of only him, and not of what was happening around them. 

Maybe, just maybe, if she reached out her hand to touch his hand—

“Melinda,” Coulson began, startling the agent out of her thoughts.

Shaking her head softly with the hopes of clearing those thoughts, the woman looked up into the eyes of her partner and arched her eyebrows, questioning why he was wanting her attention.

“There’s no crowd anymore,” Phil stated with a warm look in his eyes as the edges crinkled in amusement, “You can let go of my jacket.”

May looked around them and saw that there was indeed no crowd and that they were almost to the helicopter. And sure enough, her hand was still gripping the back of Coulson’s jacket.

Trying to avoid his eyes, Melinda mumbled an apology as she released her hand and smoothed out his jacket where she had grabbed it, trying not to enjoy the feel of his firm shoulders. Dropping her hand, the woman started walking towards the helicopter. It took May a moment to realize that Coulson was not beside her as she walked.

Looking over her shoulder, she called out, “You coming?”

“Yeah, yeah, I am coming,” replied the man. Melinda watched as he started walking to catch up with her, his hand rubbing at his shoulder. 

As they approached the helicopter, Melinda ducked to avoid the whirling metal blades. Hopping into the helicopter, Melinda felt the light pressure of Phil’s hand against the small of her back, or she assumed that’s what she felt. She probably imagined it, a product of her wishful thinking. Buckling herself in, the woman watched as her partner slid into his seat, his hands brushing against her side as he buckled in, causing a small shiver to run along her side. Hoping that Coulson hadn’t noticed, the woman leaned up to talk with the pilot. She wished she was the one piloting. She missed her piloting days before she became a part of the secret service.

“Where to Agent May?” shouted the pilot over the loud sound of the helicopter.

Meeting her partner’s eyes, Melinda felt a silent communication pass between them. Without removing her gaze from Coulson’s, Melinda yelled back, “Venice, Italy.”

* * *

“Robbie come look at this!” Daisy exclaimed as she picked up a Venetian mask. It was a half mask with a shade of blue similar to that of a robin’s egg and with gold detailing swirling into and out of a flower-like design. 

Holding out the mask for the man to look at, Daisy watched as he took it tenderly from her hands, careful not to harm it, and ran his thumb over the intricate details of the mask. For some reason, unbeknownst to herself, Daisy felt her breath catch as she watched him examine it.

“It looks very beautiful,” Robbie said as he looked up at her, brown eyes meeting brown, “Almost as beautiful as—”

“HEY GUYS!” Deke shouted as he pushed through the crowds stepping between Daisy and Robbie, “You have to see this wooden puzzle. IT HAS LEMONS ON IT!”

As the strange young man shoved the wooden art into her hands, the girl took a look at it. It was indeed a wooden puzzle, one of the souvenirs that Venice is known for, featuring small carved lemons on it traced with gold leaf. It was a pretty puzzle. She would give him that, but she had no idea why the young man was so interested in lemons. If she were honest with herself, she had no idea why Deke wanted to tag along with them in the first place, but Daisy let it slide. The more the merrier.

“Yeah, it looks really cool,” Daisy said with a laugh as she patted the man on the shoulder hoping to calm him down a little bit. If she wasn’t so focused on giving the box safety back to Deke, she would have noticed the glare that Robbie was shooting at Deke, almost as if he was trying to make the other man burst into flames. But as was often the case, the girl did not notice.

After she gave the box safety back to Deke, Daisy returned her attention back to the mask she has been looking at earlier. It was really pretty, she agreed with Robbie on that, but she only had grabbed enough money for the essentials and as much as she liked it, she just couldn’t afford the cost of an authentic Venetian mask. With a sigh, the young woman replaced the mask back on the table and turned back around to face her fellow travelers.

“So, should we try and find a nice place to eat?” Daisy asked both Deke and Robbie, “It is getting pretty late.” They had been looking in the shops all day since they had gotten off the train and while trying on random clothes, hats, and masks was fun, it had been a while since they had eaten. In fact, if she remembers correctly, the last time she had eaten was when she and Robbie had visited that café owned by that nice old man.

“Sounds good,” Deke said as he finished paying for the wooden puzzle, “I love all food, but especially citrus. I don’t know why.”

“Okaaaaay…” Daisy started as she looked at the young man, “I don’t know what to do with that information. What about you Robbie? Want to choose where to eat?”

Daisy watched as Robbie gave a little shrug, but as she turned to look for a place to eat, Robbie’s voice called out, “Yeah, chica, I can find us a place to eat. I need to do something real quick though. How about I meet you and Deke at the fountain over there in ten minutes.”

Daisy looked at the man for a few seconds, wondering what he was doing, but she quickly looked away as she said, “Sounds like a plan. Come on Deke let’s go see if that street musician takes requests.”

As she and Deke walked away, Deke endlessly chatting about his Nana and Bobo, Daisy couldn’t help but shoot one quick glance back over her shoulder at Robbie. As she did so, the girl caught a glimpse of Robbie talking to a cashier. It looked like he had bought something, but that wasn’t any of her business. 

Focusing her attention back on Deke, she nodded intently as she listened to an imaginative story about how his grandparents used to have work for a secret government agency and had a pet monkey. What a crazy story. Of course, she did not believe him, it seemed like the guy was definitely high on something. 

As they approached the fountain, Daisy watched as Deke ran over to the street musician. Waving his hands as he told the musician what song he wanted the played. Rolling her eyes with fond exasperation, Daisy let a smile show on her face as she sat on the edge of the marble fountain. Closing her eyes, the young woman tilted her head to the sky, soaking in the warmth from the summer sun. 

As she listened to the sound of the fountain, she heard the musician begin the song that Deke had requested. Opening her eyes, the girl watched as the man took a seat next to her and turned his eye to the musician. The musician was a pretty girl with short curly black hair who was wearing a floral dress. She seemed nice enough, but there was something a little off about her. She smiled as if she knew a secret that you didn’t and that made her have something over you, but the girl was a stranger and that was just a hunch. 

Daisy looked at Deke again and saw that he was bopping his head rather violently to the pop song that the girl was playing. Daisy recognized the song as one from a couple of years ago. It was something about a girl falling in love with a guy and how it was probably a mistake. She couldn’t remember but she thought it was maybe by a girl named Chloe Wang but she couldn’t be for sure. 

It was only a few minutes after the musician began the song that Daisy felt a person walk up to her other side. Raising her head, Daisy shielded her eyes from the harsh sun and saw that it was Robbie. Jumping up from her spot at the fountain, the young woman stood up next to the man, smiling as she asked, “Did you get what you needed?” 

“Yeah, I did,” replied Robbie as he stuffed a plastic shopping bag into his backpack.

“So I don’t get to see what you bought?” Daisy teased as she tilted her head to the side.

“Nope. At least not now. We have to find a place to eat,” replied Robbie with a small smirk on his face. 

Nodding in agreement, Daisy turned from Robbie and grabbed Deke’s shoulder, shaking it as she told him they needed to go get dinner. 

Watching as the man stood up and deposited the money in the musician's upturned hat, Daisy let a small smile show in her face. He was a weird one, but he wasn’t unkind. 

The girl turned back to Robbie as Deke approached them and stood by her side. Shooting Robbie a smile, Daisy asked, “So where to?”

Robbie had a secretive smile on his face and he wouldn’t tell her anything, but yeh girl knew that he had a plan. She trusted him. It may be kind of crazy that she trusted him so soon, but she felt deep from inside her gut that she could trust him. She just knew it. 

“Follow me.”

* * *

The restaurant that Robbie had led them to turned out to be surprisingly nice. It was a small building, but it had a rather large outdoor patio that was lined on either side by canals of water. There were only a few groups of people at the restaurant, but the sounds of the residents in the nearby buildings and the singing of the gondoliers who passed by filled the silence, creating a comfortable atmosphere. The fairy lights that hung above the tables cast a warm glow. 

Daisy and Robbie had just finished sharing a pizza while Deke had already finished his pasta. They had only been talking a little, but the silence was comfortable. Daisy truly felt like she was free, surrounded by her two new friends. It seemed like many months had passed since she ran away from her father’s security detail, but in reality, it had only been a few days.

Daisy was wiping her hands on her napkin, when Deke randomly ran over to where she and Robbie sat, giving them a huge hug as he exclaimed, “I am so glad that I met you guys and I am so glad that you two are allowing me to tag along on your journey so I can go to Berlin too! I cherish our friendship so much!”

From her position in Deke’s arms, Daisy glanced at Robbie and saw how rigid he was in response to being hugged. Letting out a short laugh, Daisy rolled her eyes as she said, “Yes. Us too.”

As Deke released them, Daisy looked at Robbie again and gave him a smile, watching as he gave a small smile in response. His smile was very charming. It was very rare. Usually, he only smirked. She thought it suited him well. In fact, it made him even more—

“Okay, guys!” yelled Deke as he jumped around the table, “I have to use the bathroom, but I’ll be right back.” 

Daisy laughed as she watched the young man run through the tables and around the side of the building to where she assumed the restroom was. A few minutes had passed when Daisy realized it was just her and Robbie sitting at the table. It was the first time they had been truly alone since Deke had tagged along. 

“So…” Daisy began as she looked at her friend, raising her eyebrows, “He’s fun.”

Robbie raised his eyebrows in response, letting out a short huff as a smirk grew on his face. 

“You can say that.” 

Daisy smiled in response to Robbie’s comment as she let the feeling of complete calmness wash over her. It had been quite a while since she had been able to take a break where she can not care about the rest of the world. 

However, it seemed like the world wouldn’t let her have a break for long. Out of the corner of her eye, Daisy spotted a group of tourists walk into the restaurant. Normally that would have not been an issue, but Daisy spotted what appeared to be a mother and daughter standing at the edge of the group, pointing in her direction.

The girl tried to remain calm, she couldn’t let Robbie know who she really was and she did not want to get caught. Standing abruptly from the table Daisy said, “Hey look, it’s been a really fun time, but I have to go soon. I think I should go call my parents and find a train station.”

As she pushed in her chair and grabbed her purse, Robbie called out, placing his hand gently on her forearm and said, “Well, don’t worry. I can come with you. Just let me pay for the meal.”

Feeling as if declining him would draw even more attention to herself, Daisy nodded and watched as the man reached in his pocket to pay. All of a sudden, Robbie started rapidly patting all of his pockets, looking very distraught. 

“I can’t find it,” Robbie states as he raised his eyes to hers, a frantic look filling his eyes.

Daisy reaches inside her own jacket to look for her wallet. Low and behold, her wallet also was missing. Patting her hands on her other jacket and pants pockets, The girl returned Robbie’s gaze as she said also in a frantic tone, “I can’t find mine either.”

It only took a minute until, both the girl and the guy came to the same realization their eyes widening as they said at the same time, “Deke!”

“He must have taken our wallets when he hugged us, Robbie said as he came over closer to Daisy, hoping not to alert any of the other restaurant patrons to their situation. 

“So what are we going to do?” Daisy asked in a hushed tone as she looked up into the man’s eye, ever aware of the eyes of the tourist group. From the left, Daisy could see a group of her father’s agents beginning to enter the restaurants. From where she and Robbie stood, she could hear them asking if they’d seen a girl fitting her description.

Shifting slightly closer to Robbie, Daisy hid behind his much larger frame, hoping that the tourists wouldn’t bother her if they couldn’t see her. It was then that she felt Robbie’s hand slip into hers, rough skin meeting soft. His fingers, though much larger than hers, gripped hers firmly yet gently as he intertwined them. The girl held her breath, waiting for his response as what could almost be described as an exciting look filled his eyes.

“Run.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...it's been a little while since this was last updated, but I'm back! And with two chapters! I felt pretty bad for putting this on hold so long, but life was super crazy and busy. This chapter is heavy on the quakerider, but I promise there's more Philinda in the next one. I hope you all enjoy this chapter and as always kudos and comments are highly appreciated!
> 
> If you want to cry over Philind or quakerider, my tumblr is humans-must-be-the-heroes.


	8. The Venetian Night

Stepping off the side of the speedboat and onto to the wooden dock, May allowed Coulson to help her out, his hand gripping hers as she made the step. She didn’t need the help. She knew Coulson knew that as well, but the woman wasn’t going to complain. She didn’t want to lose any chance that she got to touch him, to be close to him.

It was nighttime when they finally made contact in Venice. The long helicopter ride followed by the boat ride had been fun but only made the two agents realize how long it had been since they had last seen Daisy. 

The night air was a little chilly even though Melinda had a light jacket on. As the woman pulled out her phone to call Nick Fury, she stepped a little closer to where Coulson was standing. There was no one around to see them, at least not any of Fury’s agents. She was just standing close to her partner for warmth. That was a survival tactic taught in the field. 

“Hello, Director Fury…Yes, we have just landed…everything went well…what do you mean Daisy is on the move…we’re near the Hotel Rialto…okay…yes, sir…copy that.”

Ending the call and putting her phone in her jacket pocket, Melinda turned to her partner, reluctantly stepping away from the warmth he was providing. 

“Fury says that a team of agents is chasing Daisy and Reyes at a street only a few minutes away from here. If we run quickly, we can catch up with them.”

“Sounds good,” Coulson replied with a sigh as he joined her in jogging across the cobblestone streets, hoping not to trip over one. Knowing Coulson, he probably would.

* * *

“Here, let’s cross this one,” Robbie yelled as he ran towards one of Venice’s numerous bridges, Daisy following quickly behind. Her farther’s agents were still following them, but many of them were getting lost behind in the many groups of tourists crowding the small, tight streets. The girl had no idea what Robbie would think of them chasing her. Maybe she could tell him that they were still the concert security, but even then, that was a risky lie. 

They had been running for the past ten minutes and her feet were starting to hurt. Slowing her pace just the slightest, Daisy looked behind her at where the agents were following her. From what she could tell, there were none behind them. They must have gotten lost in the crowds. 

Picking up her pace, the girl came up beside Robbie, grabbing his hand to slow him to a stop. 

“Look. There’s no one following us anymore,” Daisy pointed out as they stood off to the side in one of the less busy streets. She watched as Robbie stepped around the corner and look around.

“It seems like you’re right,” the man stated as he pulled her out of the side street and into the much busier and larger street, “Let’s stick to the larger streets right now, we can blend in with the crowds.”

“Good idea,” Daisy replied as she walked in step with him, passing through the throngs of people looking at the shops that lined the streets. It helped that it was night outside. 

“So, chica, why are we running away from people?” asked Robbie as he glanced at her from the corner of his eye, barely moving his head, “I didn’t pick you as the type to hang with the wrong crowd.”

“I don’t,” Daisy replied with a huff, “They’re probably security guards from the concert upset that I stole something from one of the celebrities. You know how they can be.”

“Hmmm. I don’t know how they are typically like, but I am sure that you can tell me sometime,” Robbie replied as he led them over another bridge and towards a larger square.

Daisy let a small smile show on her face as they walked side by side. It was nice, taking a stroll through the crowds, no one chasing them and no one interrupting them. Out of all the times when she had been alone with a guy, this one was going the best, even considering the fact they had spent half the time being chased. 

It had been only a couple of minutes when Daisy spotted a small stand featuring gelato of many flavors. The pink and white striped awning grabbed the attention of all who walked by, inviting people to come over and see what gelato they had to offer.

“Ooh!” Daisy cries out as she pulled Robbie along to the cart, “Let’s get gelato!”

Robbie shook his head lightly as he let out a small laugh, but he followed the girl nonetheless. 

As she reached the stand, Daisy only needed a quick glance to look at the menu before deciding on her flavor.

“_Ciao! Vorrei un gelato al cioccolato e il mio ragazzo vuole il gelato alla fragola_—” Daisy began, but she was quickly interrupted by the sounds of people calling after her.

“Daisy!”

“Stop Daisy! Please!”

Looking behind her, Daisy saw that Coulson and May were jogging into the square, headed in her direction. Daisy went to grab Robbie’s hand but realized she was still holding it, having never let it go since she had first grabbed it.

“We have to go now!” Daisy yelled at Robbie, who appeared to have a confused look on his face at being pulled away from the gelato. 

Yelling a quick “_scusa_” at the owner of the stand, Daisy began to run to the other side of the square, hoping that her May and Coulson would get slowed down by the crowds. Once she and Robbie reached the other side, the girl risked a glance behind her and saw that the two agents were forced to slow down, but that they would eventually catch up to them, the agents were too skillfully trained.

“You know Italian!?!” Robbie yelled at her as they ran.

“A little,” Daisy yelled back as she almost tripped over a loose cobblestone, “Enough for the essentials.”

“Like ice cream?” Robbie teased as they neared another corner, a small smirk on his face as he breathed a little heavy.

“Like ice cream,” Daisy replied with a smirk of her gracing her face.

Running down one of the side streets, Daisy pulled Robbie behind her, not knowing where she was going, but hoping that she could avoid May and Coulson. Rounding the corner, Daisy stopped in front of a bridge, a gondola sitting in front. Upon looking at the gondola, Daisy got an idea, but it was a risky one and they were really going to have to sell it. 

Tugging on Robbie’s hand to slow him to a stop, Daisy released her hand from his, barely noticing the slight frown on the man’s face as she did so. Saving that information in the back of her mind to analyze later, the girl wrapped her now free arm around Robbie’s waist, forcing him to walk closely to her as she whispered in his ear. 

“Follow my lead.”

Approaching the man who was standing by his gondola that was painted red and gold, Daisy flashed a bright smile. 

“_Ciao_! I am so sorry to bother you kind sir, but my fiancé and I just had dinner and he proposed to me in the cutest way. We were wondering if there was any way that you could give us a ride,” Daisy said as she leaned her head against Robbie’s shoulder, batting her eyes at the gondolier.

“Yes! Of course,” replied the man, surprisingly with an American accent, as he stepped inside his gondola, gesturing to its seats, “It will cost 80 euros.”

Daisy felt her heart drop. They still had no money ever since Deke had stolen it from them. She supposed that it was a good thing that they never got the gelato since it would have been embarrassing ordering with no money. 

“But sir,” Daisy began as she used the arm not wrapped around Robbie to grab his other hand and intertwine their fingers together, “It’s our first night as fiancés and we just want to have a romantic evening. We would have paid you, but all our money was stolen and we have nothing left. Please! Do it for young love!”

Daisy squeezed Robbie’s side, hoping that he’d get the signal to play it up. Coulson and May would be on them in any second. 

“Yes, please let us have this one boat ride as an engagement gift!” Robbie said as he pressed a kiss to the side of Daisy's head. The girl felt her breath catch at the touch of his lips but hoped it didn’t show.

Making sure she still had a smile on her face, Daisy watched as the gondolier was at war with himself, different emotions playing across his face as he scratched at his neatly-trimmed goatee. She was about to suggest that they find another way of transportation when the gondolier walked over to the two.

“Fine. Fine. Yes! I’ll take you two. I am a sucker for young love and you two are so cute together,” said the man as he motioned for them to hop into his gondola. 

Thanking the man, Daisy and Robbie disentangled themselves and hopped in the small boat. The girl held her breath as the gondolier used his long paddle to steer the boat into the middle of the canal and began rowing them farther from where they initially were.

Feeling like they were safe enough out of the way, Daisy heaved a sigh of relief as she looked over at Robbie, flashing him a quick smile. The young man in return, gave her a smirk as he smiled back. The girl was slightly overwhelmed by the sight of his smile. When she first met him, he barely smiled, but as their time together had grown, she had seen more and more of his smiles and oh how they shined.

If Daisy was overwhelmed by his smile, she was absolutely floored when Robbie wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to his side as he whispered in her ear, “Remember we have to keep of the act that we’re in love.”

“Of course, dear,” Daisy replied as she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, delighting in how his eyes fluttered closed for a second of a moment. 

“Ah, young love!” exclaimed the friendly gondolier, “You know, I once experienced a great young love as well. Her name was Pepper and she had the brightest orange hair and it sparkles like fire. I met her when I worked in the tech industry before I retired to Venice as a gondolier. Of course, it didn’t stay as young love for long, because we ended up getting married. She claims that it took a lot to tame me down, but we’re happily married and we have a kid named Mor…”

Daisy wished she could listen to the gondolier’s words, but she was getting more and more caught up in Robbie’s eyes, and the world around her was fading into oblivion. It felt like the world consisted of just the two of them. She felt Robbie pull her impossibly closer as he dropped another kiss to the top of her head. The girl could barely breathe, the tenderness in his eyes too much to bear. I’d this is how Robbie acted why trying to be someone else, then he deserved a damn Oscar. 

As the boat floated down the canal, passing other gondolas filled with happy couples, Daisy felt a sense of calmness wash over her, not for the first time since she met Robbie. As they neared an ornate bridge, Daisy opened her mouth to speak but stopped when she saw movement out of the corner of her eye. 

Agents May and Coulson were stepping out from one of the side streets and were heading towards the bridge that they were going to be crossing floating under. Daisy knew that there was no way to escape the gondola without creating a scene since they were surrounded by water on either side. She was going to be made if she didn’t think of something very quickly. 

Robbie must have known somehow that she was uneasy about the two people approaching because he turned his body towards hers, shielding it as much as he could, whispering in her ear, “Public displays of affection make people very uncomfortable.” 

Daisy looked at him with a slight look of confusion, “Yes, they do.”

Before Daisy could ask him what he many, Robbie’s lips were suddenly on hers. The kiss felt like burning fire. It was as if every cell in her body was tingling. Sure, the girl had been kissed before, but nothing like that. The kiss felt like it lasted for either a thousand hours or a thousandth of a second, she could not tell. It was as if time no longer existed. 

Slowly, as if he was reluctant to do so, Robbie ended the kiss, leaning his forehead against her own as they both took deep breaths. 

“I think it worked,” Robbie said as he brushed some of the hair out of her eyes, whoever was after you, aren’t now.” 

Daisy tried to respond back, but no words left her mouth, probable because any cohesive thought she had was wiped out of her mind during the kiss. She knew that he was going to kiss her, but did he have to be that good at it? Letting a small smile show on her face, Daisy nodded in agreement as she settled back against the bench on the gondola.

“Wow, you two are something,” stated the gondola as he steered them around a sharp corner, “I haven’t seen that much public affection since before Pep and I had Morguno.”

Daisy felt a hot blush rise to her cheeks at the man’s comments and as she looked over at Robbie, she was surprised to a light blush on his face as well. Maybe, just maybe, she wasn’t the only one experience those feelings? 

“Well sir,” Robbie said as he slung his arm around Daisy’s shoulders, “As we said, we’re new fiancés with a long life of love ahead of us.”

Daisy shot a glance at Robbie from the corner of her eye. She thought they had already been playing the role well enough. There was no need for him to add that comment. She hoped it didn’t seem like they were overdoing it. 

“Don’t mind me asking, but do you all have a place to stay for the night since you don’t have any money?” The gondolier asked as he rowed then towards the side of a street where he stopped the gondola. “I have a house not too far from here. My wife Pepper would hate it if I let two young ones in love wander the streets at night.”

Daisy shared a look with Robbie. They didn’t really know the man, but he seemed really nice. Besides, they didn’t have any money to stay anywhere else’s. May and Coulson would probably not be able to find her there. The gondolier seemed vaguely familiar. Looking in Robbie’s eyes, Daisy could tell that he was thinking the same thing.

“Sure, we‘ll take you up on that offer,” Daisy said as she took the gondolier’s hand as she stepped out of the gondola and onto the side of the street. Still, with her hand in the man’s, Daisy shook his hand as she introduced herself. 

“My name is Daisy and this is my fiancé Robbie,” the girl said, gesturing to Robbie as he stepped out of the gondola himself and joined her where she was standing. 

Shaking Robbie’s hand, the man replied, “Tony. Let me tie up my boat and you can follow me there. I’ll call Pep as we walk and warn her ahead of time.”

The two travelers nodded their heads in response as they thanked him and watched as he tied his boat up. Motioning did them to follow him, Daisy grabbed Robbie’s hand and started walking slightly behind the gondolier as he reached into his pocket and took his phone out to call his wife. 

“Hey, Pep. We have two guests joining us tonight…yeah, yeah…I know no more strays…but I think you’ll like these two…the girl reminds me of Pete…okay, I’ll see you soon…tell Morgan I love her 3000…okay bye.”

Turning to look over his shoulder, the man looked back at the two, giving them a smile that could have almost been defined as a smirk. 

“Follow me.”

* * *

“We’ve been searching for hours, May,” said Coulson as he dropped to one of the stairs attached to one of the many bridges that were scattered among Venice, “By now, they have probably found a place to lie low for the night. She’s with Reyes, so she should be fine for one night where we can’t watch her every move.”

Melinda May paved the ground by where her partner sat. He was probably right. They had been searching for Daisy for a while. The two security teams that had been sent after he still hadn’t found her either. Reyes definitely had something to do with the fact that she hadn’t been found yet. Although, May didn’t know why he didn’t just help turn her into them. The girl has had much more exciting then her father had initially expected when he created this whole situation. May just hoped Reyes didn’t become too attached. 

Looking over at her partner where he sat resting his back against the bridge railing almost half asleep, the woman felt a found smile grow on her face. She had already become attached, to a man whose duty and honor wouldn’t let her have. 

“Come on,” May said as she reached down her hand to help her partner stand up from the ground, “Let’s find a hotel. I saw that there were a few around here worth checking out. You can rest there.” 

Heaving her much taller partner up, the woman overestimated how much strength she needs and almost fell backward, but Coulson’s other hand shot out and grabbed her shoulder, righting her before she could fall. They had to be no more than a few inches from each other, the top of his nose almost touching hers. It felt as if time stopped and it was just the two of them. Melinda watched as Phil’s eyes darted down, glancing quickly at her lips. Her heart beating faster in anticipation, the woman felt her own gaze fall to her partner’s lips. This was it. They were finally going to cross the line they had drawn when they first became the partners. Rising onto her tiptoes, May moved her hand up the man’s arm and onto her shoulder. Leaning in, Melinda closed her eyes and—

“Excuse me, lovebirds, but I have a load of produce I have to get back to my restaurant and you two are blocking the bridge,” said a man with a thick Italian accent as he shoved his cart towards where the two agents were standing. 

Startled, Melinda backed away from Phil as she mumbled an apology to the man with his cart and allowed him to pass through. Keeping her eyes to the ground, Melinda focused on trying to hide the blush she was sure was developing on her face. They were so close, but she couldn’t focus on that now. They needed to find a place to stay for the night. 

Afraid that she might see something in his eyes that would say he wasn’t interested in her, the female agent slowly raised her eyes to meet his as she said, “There’s a hotel not far from here. I think it’s called `Ca' Maria Adele’ or something like that.”

Though she had been expecting to see disinterest or pity in his eyes because of their almost kiss, Melinda was surprised to see that they only held a warm glow. The woman watched as the man smiled in response and nodded in agreement, walking alongside her as they headed toward the hotel. 

The gondolier was right. His house wasn’t located far from where they were. After a fifteen-minute walk filled with polite chatter, Daisy and Robbie stood in front of a narrow, but tall building nestled between many other buildings. The exterior was impeccably decorated with string lights, vases filled with neatly trimmed shrubbery. Clearly, the owner had incredible taste. 

As the man unlocked the door, Daisy couldn’t contain her curiosity, asking him, “So which apartment is yours?”

Opening the door, the man stepped through the door, but not before he looked over his shoulder giving a wink as he said, “All of them.”

Walking through the door, Daisy shared a look of awe with Robbie, partially due to Tony’s comment but also at the large foyer in front of them. While the outside of the building made it look like it was a series of apartments, the interior was the opposite, a large room that had multiple smaller rooms connected off of it. The floor was made of white marble and from the ceiling hanged a grand chandelier, it’s crystals glinting in the light of the room. Daisy wondered what job Tony had in the tech industry to afford a house like this. 

“Pepper!” yelled the man as he led them into a modern sitting room complete with a television and fireplace accompanied by a plush sofa, “We have some guests.”

“We’ll be there in a sec,” yelled back a voice from somewhere else in the house. 

No more than two minutes had passed when a middle-aged woman entered the room with a toddler on her hip. The woman was extremely gorgeous with long strawberry blonde hair that went to her waist. She was wearing a pair of dark slacks with a purple sweater tucked in. The little girl on her hip, who Daisy assumes was her daughter, had the same brown hair and eyes as her father, but the face shape of her mother. 

“Hello!” said Pepper as she shifted her daughter to her other hip, “My name is Pepper and this one here is Morgan.” 

Daisy watched as the little girl lifted her head from her mother’s chest and give Daisy and Robbie a shy wave before hiding her face in her mother’s hair.

“So Tony told me you two need a place to stay for the night,” Pepper started as she walked over to her husband, kissing his cheek as she handed Morgan over to him. Turning to Daisy and Robbie, the woman motioned for the two to follow her up the staircase. 

“We have a couple of extra guest rooms here; however, one belongs to our adopted son Peter when he’s in town, but he’s in New York right now. One of the others belongs to Harley, one of Tony’s interns-turned-adopted sons. We have a lot of found children,” explained Pepper as she walked down a hallway pointing at different doors. 

Stopping in front of a door near the end of the hallway, Pepper motioned them in as she said, “Here’s where you two will stay. I wish there were two beds, but there’s also a pull-out couch I made up when Tony called ahead.”

This room was just as nice as the living room that they were in earlier. There was a large bed in the middle of the room and the fold-out couch was across from it. On one side of the walls was where the restroom was located, a large room with a shower, tub, and vanity sinks. On the other wall was a set of tall glass windows that opened up to a small balcony overlooking the canal. Daisy was pretty sure that this room rivaled her own room in the White House.

Turning around to look at Pepper who was leaning on the doorframe, Daisy smiled at the woman as she said, “Thank you so much. Truly. We owe you big time.”

“Yeah, ma'am,” Robbie said as he walked up next to Daisy, “Thank you so much for letting spend the night.”

“Of course!” replied Pepper with a smile on her face, “There should be some clothes that’ll fit you both over there on the bed. I’ll see you two in the morning.”

And with that, the woman left the two weary travelers alone in the quiet room.

* * *

It only took a couple of minutes to reach the hotel and it wasn’t a terrible walk, the brush of Phil’s hand against hers and the lights from the windows of the surrounding buildings filling her with a warmth she had been feeling quite often since she and Phil had started chasing after Daisy.

The hotel was a cream-colored stone building with brick lining the bottoms half of it and a terra-cotta roof. The side of the building that they entered was facing the street, but one of the sides was overlooking the canal with a door where gondolas and water taxis could pull up to the hotel. As they walked through the entrance, May held her breath in awe at the lobby. The flooring was made of marble and the ceiling was made of many dark wooden beams, giving the room a classy but homely feel. 

Approaching the wooden desk, Melinda felt Phil slip his hand into hers as he whispered into her ear, “I’ve got this. We can just put it on Fury’s credit card. He owes us.” 

Assuming that Coulson was going to do what she thought he would, Melinda pasted a bright smile on her face, tilting her head with a flirtatious look in her eyes. As they stopped in front of the desk, the woman leaned her head against her partner’s shoulder, her free hand coming up to grip his bicep. 

“_Ciao_,” Coulson said to the manager behind the desk, “My name is Charles Martin and this is my wife Heidi. We’re looking for a room for the night. We know it’s pretty last minute.”

“But we hope that won’t stop us from getting a room with a view of the canal,” May interjected as she batted her eyes at the manager as Coulson slid Fury’s credit car across the top of the desk, “Money’s no issue.”

“Yes, yes, signori Martin!” exclaimed the man in a thick Italian accent as his eyes widened at Melinda’s comment that hinted they were incredibly rich, “That shouldn’t be a problem! One room with a canal view coming right up!”

Standing off to the side while the man grabbed their key cards, Melinda stood on the tips of her toes to whisper in Coulson’s ear, “Nice work.”

As she leaned back to look up at him, Phil took the opportunity to lean down, pressing his nose to hers as we whispered, “Nice work yourself.”

Barely containing her eye roll, the woman let a small smile show in her face. That man sure was laying on the charm, trying to secure their cover as a married couple. Sure, his behavior was depicting a man who was in love with his wife, but it was almost more of a newlywed type of relationship rather than a middle-aged couple on an anniversary trip.

“Ah! Here we go, _signori_ ! Here are the two key cards for your room. I hope you two have a wonderful stay!” said the employee as he handed May the cards. 

Gripping Coulson’s hand, Melinda pulled up the marble staircase as she shouted a thank you to the man. Once they were out of sight, the woman reluctantly dropped her partner’s hand as they approached the door of their room. Inserting the card, May unlocked the door to their room and stepped inside.

“Wow,” Coulson said a tone of awe in his voice as he looked around their room, “We’re definitely getting out money’s worth.”

May hummed in agreement as she walked further into the room. It was decorated in both a traditional and modern style. There were large wooden beams on the ceiling, similar to the lobby, but the walls and bedding were a bright white. The woman felt her breath catch slightly when she looked towards the middle of the room. In the middle of the room was a single bed, most likely a queen size. 

Of course, there was only one bed. They were acting as a married couple, but it still took Melinda off guard a little. Sure, they had shared a bed a few times before when there weren’t enough beds for Security Team Delta and they had to double up, but this was different. It was just the two of them. 

Trying to shake that thought off, Melinda turned her attention to the rest of the room. At the end of the bed sat a large bathtub and two armchairs against the wall in front of it. The placement of the bathtub was a little weird, but as she walked into the bathroom she saw that there was also a shower and a toilet in there. 

Walking back out, Melinda watched as Phil leaned back, collapsing on the bed with his arms behind his head.

“I am so tired,” Phil said with a huff as he looked up at May from where he was lying on the bed, “My feet feel like we’ve walked a thousand miles.”

Walking over to the small backpack she had brought with her from the helicopter, Melinda pulled out the clothes that she intended to wear to go to sleep in as she replied, “I agree, but I don’t think we walked that far.” 

Hearing the man chuckle in response, Melinda shook her head fondly as she walked into the bathroom, shutting the door as she said, “I’m going to change. It shouldn’t take too long.

Glad that she didn’t normally have a long nighttime routine, the woman tied her hair into a loose bun and splashed water on her face as she removed the light makeup from her face. Stepping out of clothes that she had been wearing, Melinda changed into an old oversized t-shirt and a pair of leggings, her usual choice of sleepwear.

As she walked back into the room, Phil had already changed into a t-shirt and a pair of sweats and was already under the covers on the right side of the bed, the furthest from the door. Melinda smiled knowing that he remembered she liked sleeping on the side by the door. Since she had been trained in martial arts for years, her footsteps were incredibly quiet as she walked over to the bed. It wasn’t until she pulled back the covers to hop in that Phil looked up from the book he was reading, something he probably grabbed off of the bookshelf in the corner of the room.

“You have to stop that,” exclaimed Phil as he clutched at his heart, “I swear you walk like a ninja.” 

Melinda chuckled as she slipped under the covers, laying completely down. The bed was big enough for two people, but just barely. There had to be no more than an inch between them. Turning on her side, Melinda faced away from Phil turned off his lamp and set his book down on the wooden nightstand beside him. The woman held her breath as the man laid down under the cover and shifted ever so closer to her, the heat from his body radiating off him. 

Making sure she set her alarm on her phone, Melinda set it on the nightstand by her side of the bed and settled back under the covers, her foot accidentally brushing Phil’s. Trying to push all thoughts of him out of her head, the woman closed her eyes hoping to fall asleep quickly. Just as she was about to succumb to slumber, Melinda heard the faintest of a whisper.

“Goodnight Melinda.”

“Goodnight Phil.”

* * *

Daisy watched as Pepper closed the door behind her. Turning around, the girl walked over to the bed and picked up the clothes the woman had laid out for her. 

“I’m going to go change. I’ll be out soon,” Daisy said as she walked into the bathroom and shut the door behind her. Looking into the mirror, Daisy was shocked at what she saw. The girl staring back at her had shorter hair and a darker tan than the girl who prepared in the White House for a date. The girl in the mirror also was a lot more confident and relaxed than the girl she was a few days ago. 

Grabbing the shirt and pajama pants that Pepper had given her, Daisy slipped them on. The shirt had the words “Stark Industries” across the back and the pajama pants were some fluffy pink Hello Kitty monstrosity. She would normally feel embarrassed at wearing them in front of a guy, but she was so tired and she had no other clothes. 

Walking out of the door and into the bedroom, Daisy saw Robbie already changed into what Pepper had left for him and standing by the pull-out couch. He also wore a shirt with the words “Stark Industry” on it, but his pajama pants were fluffy with panda bears on them. Barely holding a chuckle back at the sight of Robbie in silly pajama, Daisy walked over to him.

“I can take the couch,” Robbie said, moving to sit on it.

“No, that won’t work,” Daisy said as she reached out her hand to stop him, “We could…we could always share the bed it’s large enough.”

Robbie’s eyes dropped to where Daisy’s hand rested in his arm, his throat bobbing as he looked at it. The girl felt him take a deep breath as he brought his eyes back to hers. 

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Robbie said as he slowly removed her hand from his arm. It almost seemed as if he didn’t want to let her go, as if he wanted to still be connected to her. 

“Why?” Daisy asked, trying to hide the hurt from her voice but failing. 

“It’s just not a good idea,” Robbie said as he stepped away from her, “It wouldn’t be right. I’m not supposed to—”

“You’re not supposed to what?!” Daisy cried out frustrated at the man’s lack of communication. 

“I’m not supposed to fall in love with you!” Robbie cried back as he turned away from him.

“What?” The girl whispered, her throat catching in her throat. He was falling in love with her. That was a great thing. She was falling in love with him too, but why did he make that sound like a bad thing? 

“I am!” Robbie said frustratedly, “And I can't stop.”

“But that’s okay!” Daisy said rushing over to where Robbie sat on the edge of the large bed, his head in his hands, “…because I’m falling in love with you too!”

“But that’s wrong,” Robbie said with a dark look on his face. 

“Why?” Daisy pleaded, “Why is it wrong?”

Robbie hesitated for a moment, looking as if he wanted to say something before he stopped himself from saying anything more. Standing up from the bed, the man walked away from Daisy as he said, “I can’t tell you. I can never tell you.”

Daisy watched as the man stormed over to the pull-out couch and laid down on it, his back facing away from her as he said, “I’m sorry Daisy. I truly am, but for reasons I can’t say, we can’t be together.”

“Urgh!” Daisy said as she threw her hands up in the air. What the hell was he talking about? She didn’t think having freedom meant getting her feelings toyed with.

Walking over to the large bed, the girl pulled back the covers, burying herself in them as she snapped the light off. Fine. If Robbie didn’t want to tell her why he couldn’t be with her then she wouldn’t keep on trying to get his attention. No more “accidental” touches. If he wanted to play cold then she could play cold too. 

“Goodnight,” Robbie said quietly from the couch, almost as if he was guilty, but why would he feel guilty about crushing her feelings.

“Goodnight,” Daisy said after waiting a moment to properly convey her anger.

* * *

Translation:  
_Ciao! Vorrei un gelato al cioccolato e il mio ragazzo vuole il gelato alla fragola_ = Hello! I would like a chocolate ice cream and my boyfriend wants strawberry ice cream.  
_Scusa _ = Sorry__

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters in one day! *pats self on back* This was a really hard chapter to write. I wanted to make sure that I got the characters right and that the story flowed correctly. As a result, this chapter turned out to be the longest yet! I think it is my favorite so far! 
> 
> Also, the two hotels mentioned in this chapter, Hotel Rialto and Ca' Maria Adele, are actually two hotels in Venice. They're both really pretty and I suggest taking a look at them!
> 
> Big thanks to @dontletthedemonsoutofyourcloset on tumblr for reviewing these past two chapters and for double-checking that my Italian was okay since it's not a language that I know. 
> 
> As always, comments and kudos are highly appreciated! Thanks!
> 
> If anyone wants to cry over Philinda or quakerider, my username is humans-must-be-the-heroes.


	9. The Following Morning

The sounds of people rushing about to start the day met Melinda’s ears and she awoke. Trying to hold onto the sense of serenity that came with sleep, the woman kept her eyes closed, basking in the warmth of blankets. It was rare that she was able to wake up naturally, usually, she was abruptly woken up by her alarm shrilling in her ear. Melinda wondered what made this morning so different. It was then that she realized a strong arm was wrapped around her waist accompanied by warm breath against her neck.

Slowly, turning her body around, careful not to disturb the arm around her waist, Melinda found herself facing her partner, his face inches from hers. Steadying her breathing, the woman watched as the early morning light filtered through the curtains hanging over the floor-length windows and painted the room in a warm glow. Phil looked different in the soft light— younger, relaxed, free of the troubles of the world. She rarely saw him so peaceful, so vulnerable.

Reaching her hand out, Melinda traced the lines on his face, feather-like touches with the purpose of memorizing every line, every scar, that graced him. Satisfied with her observations, the woman brushed her hand through the man’s hair, telling herself she was helping him to wakeup more presentable, but she knew it was a lie. If she were truly honest with herself, she just wanted to capture that moment, where it was just them, their arms wrapped around each other and faces pressed close. Tucked away in that room with the warm light and the soft sound of the city waking up, it felt like it was just the two of them, in a world of their own. 

Gently reaching towards the nightstand, Melinda grabbed her phone, turning off the alarm that was set to ring off in twenty minutes. There was no way she would fall back asleep. Sure, she was comfortable enough to fall asleep, but the feeling of Phil wrapped around her, his chest gently rising and falling in sync with hers, was consuming her mind. She felt like she could stay in his arms forever. She wished she could. But she couldn’t, not while Daisy was MIA. They had a mission. Maybe one day, she’d wake up beside him and it would be normal, no secret mission to run off in. 

Bringing her face, impossibly closer to his, Melinda slowly pressed her lips to Phil’s forehead, reveling in the warmth of his skin against her lips. She probably wouldn’t have done so if he was awake. It was easier to show him affection while he slept, unaware of the constant war that was going on inside of her to give up duty and honor and to simply take what she wanted, or rather whom she wanted. 

Leaning her head back, Melinda watched as Phil’s forehead creased in his sleep and felt his hand tighten against her waist. Smiling as she shook her head softly, the woman carefully removed Phil’s arm from her waist as she slipped out of the covers. Careful not to disturb her sleeping partner, Melinda grabbed her change of clothes from her backpack and walked over to the bathroom to change. However, as she opened the door, the woman looked over her shoulder and smiled at the sight. In response to her absence, the man had grabbed the blankets and pillows from her side of the bed and was gripping them to himself. Shaking her head as she closed the door behind her, Melinda let out a soft laugh. The man sure was a cuddler.

After taking a quick shower and changing into a pair of blue jeans and a black t-shirt, Melinda opened the wooden cabinets in the bathroom and found a stash of straighteners, curling irons, and blow dryers. That hotel really liked keeping their guest’s needs well met. After blow-drying her hair, the woman grabbed the curling iron and began adding soft curls into her hair. Normally, she wasn’t one to focus on her looks, but for some reason, Melinda felt like curling her hair. On many missions, she had often caught Phil staring at her when she wore her hair curly, and who would blame her for wanting to have more of his attention. 

Taking a quick look into the mirror, Melinda exited the bathroom and saw that her partner was still sleeping. He’d have to wake up soon. They had a long day ahead of them. During the night, the female agent had received a text saying that they had a relative area for where Daisy was located based on Robbie’s last signal from his phone, but it was a rather large area and they would have to question a lot of people about Daisy’s whereabouts.

Walking over to the balcony that overlooked the canals, Melinda opened the tall doors, letting a large amount of light in. Leaning into the railing, the woman watched as people began opening their businesses and the canal became busier with more and more boats passing through. The smell of fresh coffee and pastries wafted through the air from the neighboring bakery. Closing her eyes, Melinda let herself absorb all of the details of her surroundings, regulating her breathing as she often did when she did Tai Chi. She would wake up Phil soon, but right then, at that very moment, Melinda let herself believe that she could have a moment of rest. It was only a matter of seconds that she stood there with her eyes closed, but she felt as if it was a lifetime. 

The press of warm lips to her shoulder, startled Melinda, her eyes flashing open. 

“Good morning,” Phil said, his voice still rough with sleep.

Careful not to turn around to face him, afraid that he might see the raw emotion displayed on her face due to the feeling of her lips on her skin, Melinda hummed a good morning in response. Either they had moved on to being friends who kissed each other’s shoulders or Phil was still heavily under the influence of sleep and hadn’t been thinking clearly. Surely it was the second one. 

“I’m going to go change and then we can head out,” Phil said as he walked back into the room and towards the bathroom, “We can grab something quick when we ask around for Daisy.”

“Sounds good,” Melinda replied as she remained standing on the balcony.

Only a few seconds had passed when the woman heard the sound of Phil entering the bathroom, but before she heard the door click shut, she heard him call out, “Oh and by the way, I like your hair curled like that.”

With the door film shut behind him, Melinda let a small smirk show in her face as she glanced back towards their room, whispering into the now quiet room, “I know.”

* * *

Why did life have to be so cruel to her?

_Stab_

Why was Robbie not telling her why he couldn’t date her?

_Stab_

Why did the one guy who truly understood her, want nothing to do with her?

_Stab_

And why did Tony’s French Toast have to taste so good?

All of these thoughts filled Daisy’s head as she sat in the Stark’s dining room, purposefully not looking at Robbie as she aggressively cut her French toast into pieces and shoved them into her mouth.

“Woah there, girl,” said Tony, his voice bringing her out of her thoughts, “What did the French toast do to you?”

Just realizing how bizarre she must be appearing, Daisy smiled apologetically to their gracious host as she lessened her grip on her fork. 

“Sorry, Tony. I had a rough time falling asleep last night.”

“Well, I hope there’s no trouble in paradise between you two lovebirds,” Tony said with a concerned look on his face as he glanced between the couple, both members staring intently at their food. 

Trying not to raise any suspicion or doubt about their cover as fiancées, Daisy reached over and gently laid her hand on Robbie’s shoulder.

“Oh, nothing like that,” Daisy lied in what she hoped was a reassuring tone, “I just heard some news that my great aunt had passed away.”

Hoping that Robbie, aka mister boy scout, wouldn’t get to upset at her lying to maintain they’re cover, Daisy watched as Tony gave his condolences as he finished clearing the table.

Sensing that breakfast was coming to an end, Daisy shoved the remaining French toast into her mouth as Robbie helped Tony with the dishes.

“Thank you so much,” Daisy said after they had finished helping Tony with the dishes and had gathered their belongings, “How can we ever repay you?”

“Nah,” Tony said as he waved a water taxi over to the side of the house near the canal, “We don’t need any money, besides, what would truly please Pepper and me would be a picture of you two on the big day.”

Struggling to maintain the excited smile that was expected of a new fiancée, Daisy instead focused on how much she enjoyed Tony and Pepper’s help towards them. Focusing on that allowed Daisy to have a more realistic smile on her face. 

“Will do,” The girl replied, as Tony helped her and Robbie into the water taxi.

“This here is my personal Water Taxi. The driver’s name is Jarvis. He’ll help you with anything you need,” Tony said as he handed over their bags, “I wish Pep was here to say goodbye, but she had to take care of some last-minute business issues. I’ll give her your regards though.”

As the boat pushed away from the dock, both Daisy and Robbie waved goodbye to the man who had so kindly offered up his home to them. Sitting close to Robbie, her leg pressed beside his and his arm wrapped around her shoulder was torture, but she maintained her calm until they were ought of Tony’s view. However, as soon as the boat rounded the corner, Daisy unattached herself from his side and settled on the wooden bench across from Robbie rather than beside him. 

Seeing the hurt look on Robbie’s face, the girl struggled to keep a mask of indifference, but ultimately held her ground when she remembered his harsh words from the night before. Daisy watched as her used-to-be friend leaned up to the driver to tell them where to go. Upon hearing it would at least be three hours till they reached the shore where they would catch a car to their next destination, Daisy settled back into her seat and closed her eyes. It was going to be a long ride.

* * *

Knocking on what had to be the twentieth door they had been to, Melinda May glanced at her partner.

“This better be the correct one.”

Her partner barely had time to respond before the door in front of them swung open, revealing an extremely handsome middle-aged man. For some reason, Melinda felt as if she had seen him before. 

“How can I help you?” asked the man, his American accent surprising the two agents. 

“I’m Agent Coulson, and this is my partner Agent May,” Coulson said as they flashed their badges simultaneously, “We are trying to find some people. Do you mind if we ask you a few questions?”

Melinda watched as the man stood still for a second, clearly trying to assess if they were legitimate agents and were worth his time. She was about to speak up to try and convince him when the man in front of them let out a large sigh as he opened the door wider. 

“Sure,” the man said as he led them into his house and towards what appeared to be a lavishly-decorated kitchen, “My name is Tony. How can I help?”

May watched as the man, Tony, gestured for them to take a seat at the kitchen island, grabbing a glass of orange juice out of the fridge. 

“Well, sir, we’re trying to find two people. They—,” Coulson informed as he watched Tony move around the kitchen.”

“French toast?” Tony interrupted as he gestured towards a plate sitting in his fridge, “I made them not too long ago this morning. They just have to be reheated.”

“No thank you,” Melinda replied, a little confused at how the man seemed to be everywhere at once, “Like my partner was saying, we’re looking for two people. They were last seen in this area. We have some photos.”

Grabbing the photos out from her backpack, Melinda laid them on top of the marble counter and slid the, across to the man. The woman watched as the man glanced at the photos, a smile growing on his face. So, he must have recognized Daisy and Robbie. 

Tony looked up at them with a broad smile on his face as he said, “Ah yes, they were not here too long ago. They were such lovely people. I think they’re heading towards Berlin. Something about a love parade. I don’t know though for certain. I think they said they were going around the alps eventually, but the memory is hazy.”

“Thank you so much,” Coulson told Tony as he exchanges a relieved glance with May, “If you don’t mind, we’ll be on our way.”

Flashing a smile at the two agents, the man led them to the door and arranged for a water taxi to take them to where they could catch transportation to take them up towards northern Italy where they would have to go through the alps. The two agents didn’t resist the man’s help, knowing that it would be hard to take a helicopter over the alps and that the president had the rest of his resources still searching over half of Europe for where Daisy was hiding. 

As they stepped into the boat, Tony called out to them, saying with a large smile on his face, “Tell them I expect an invitation to the wedding!”

It took the woman a moment to process what Tony had said and when she turned to face him, she found that the man was already gone, the door to the house completely closed. Turning to her partner, Melinda saw his eyes widened in surprise, his expression surely mirroring hers. 

“Wedding?!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I liked writing this chapter because of the philinda fluff. Gotta love the "there's only one bed trope." Quakerider fans, love the angst? Don't worry too much. Every good couple has their rough times. I also loved writing Tony in this chapter. I was aiming for the relationship between Tony and Coulson in the first two Ironman movies. Get hyped for the next chapter. We might meet a sarcastic Brit and his tall blonde girlfriend...hmm...I wonder who they could be...
> 
> As always, comments and kudos are appreciated! I love reading them so much. They brighten my day.
> 
> If anyone wants to cry over AoS, philinda, quakerider, or the fact that we still haven't received the season seven trailer yet, my tumblr is @humans-must-be-the-heroes.


	10. The Leap of Faith

Daisy kicked at the loose stones on the dirt path as she walked, looking intently at the scenery rather than the man walking a few feet behind her. It had been a couple of hours since Tony’s butler (or friend?) Jarvis had given them a short boat ride from Tony’s house to where a car waited and had driven them to a small Italian town. With a few directions and a polite farewell, the man had left her and Robbie alone to find their way to where they could catch a train to. While on the boat with Jarvis, the conversation was never awkward. The man was happy to ramble about his wife Ana and his friend Peggy’s adventures with her husband Daniel. However, without Jarvis, only a few comments were exchanged between Daisy and Robbie for the past couple of hours. 

As they passed yet another Italian sign that they could not read, Daisy let out a huge sigh as she shifted her backpack. Daisy really wanted to know if they were on the right path, but she was not feeling up to talking to Robbie yet. Not after he had given her the cold shoulder last night. She knew that they were going to have to talk to each other sooner or later, but she was too stubborn to be the first to break the silence. So, the young woman returned her attention to their surroundings, letting her shoes scuff across the loose stones beneath her feet. 

It had to have been no more than ten minutes, before she heard his voice from behind her. 

“Daisy,” Robbie began as he jogged up beside her, “Uhm, Daisy…”

Daisy tried to hold her ground and not look at him, but the slight edge of apprehension in his voice made her glance over at him. 

“What?”

“I think we missed our turn.”

“WHAT?!?” Daisy exclaimed as she abruptly came to her stop, her eyes widening in disbelief and surprise. 

Robbie stood beside her, his hand rubbing the back of his neck as he shifted his eyes from hers, the normal stoic expression on his face replaced with an anxious one. 

“I was trying to keep track of the signs on the map that Tony’s butler gave us, but I think it’s the wrong one. See?” the young man said as he handed her the map.

Looking down at the slightly wrinkled paper in her hands, Daisy scanned it for any of the road signs that she had seen in the past hour. After a minute of searching with no luck, Daisy shoved the map back into Robbie’s hands. 

“I have no clue where we are, but it is not there,” Daisy said frustratingly with a nod towards the map, “Hopefully we will come across someone who we can ask for directions.  
Robbie nodded his head in agreement and continued walking alongside her. Desperate to not meet his eyes, the girl shifted her attention to their surroundings once again. It looked like they were getting closer to the more mountainous region of the country, the Alps rising in the distance. 

They were going to have to find a way to get around the mountains because Daisy definitely was not going to hike them. Only crazy people did that, and her feet were already hurting from walking for the past four hours. 

If they could only find a place where they can ask for directions, then they could find a place to sleep and the nearest train station where they could find a train to take them close to where the love parade was being held in three days. She was supposed to be meeting friends from England there, but Daisy was not sure if she would make it on time. Especially since the longer she was away from her father, the more desperate he would be to try and find her.

A sharp burst of mountain wind blew past, shaking her from her thoughts. Daisy wrapped her leather jacket around her. It was surprisingly cold. While they were in Venice, and even Prague, the weather had been warm, even bordering on hot. 

“Hey, it’s getting a little chilly” Daisy said, glancing at Robbie as she zipped up her leather jacket. As much as she had been telling herself that she would not meet his eyes, she seemed to be doing it quite a lot. 

“It is?” Robbie asked with a faint look of confusion on his face, “I did not notice. I’m always warm.”

“Yeah, well that must be nice for you,” Daisy replied, “But some of us are getting a little chilly. I think the closer we are to the mountains, the colder it is going to be. We’ll need to find a place to ask for directions soon, so we can know where we can catch a train that will end up taking us to Munich, Germany. That’s where the love parade is.”

“Well, right now I’d say we are still in Italy. Jarvis dropped us off near the northern part of Italy. We are going to need to cross into part of Austria for a little bit and then we should be fairly close to Munich. I think once we get closer to a more populated town, we will be able to find someone who can point us in the way of a train station. It would probably be around a five-hour train ride if we find the right town.”

“Are you really who you say you are…” Daisy said, a hint of teasing in her voice, “Or am I really in the presence of a geography nerd?”

Robbie let out a huff as he shook his head as he shrugged out of his jacket. 

“No, I’m not. I’m just what one might call well-prepared.” Robbie said.

Daisy let out a short laugh as she shook her head, turning away from the man and wrapping her arms around her waist in a way to shield herself from the cold. Hopefully, they would come across people soon. It looked like the forested area they were in was becoming less dense. The girl just wished that the wind would die down and that they would find a place to sit. 

All of a sudden, a warm, heavy weight settled upon her shoulders. Looking for the sudden cause of the warmth, Daisy turned towards Robbie and saw that he was no longer wearing his black leather jacket with the white stripe across the front. Instead he was just wearing the light grey hoodie he had pulled out of his backpack after Jarvis had dropped them off. 

“Thanks,” Daisy said as she slipped her arms into the sleeves, surprised that it still was loose over her own leather jacket, “You sure you won’t be too cold?”

“Nah, chica,” Robbie said as he gestured towards the hoodie he was wearing, “I’ve got this sweatshirt and as I said, I'm always warm. I sometimes feel like I could just burst into flames.”

“Wouldn’t that be crazy,” the girl responded, smiling, “It would be like those comic bo—"

“Hey,” Robbie interrupted, his hand grabbing hers and stopping her in her tracks, “Do you hear that?”

Daisy stood still as she closed her eyes, trying to locate what Robbie was hearing. There it was. She could hear the faint sound of people laughing in the distance.

“Yeah,” Daisy replied as she pointed towards the end of the road where the forest was thinning out, “I hear people in that direction.

“Let’s go,” Robbie said, walking faster towards the sound, “Hopefully there are people there who can help us with directions.”

The man continued walking but found himself distracted by how close Daisy was walking behind him, almost practically on top of him. Spinning himself around, Robbie found himself face to face with Daisy, their faces merely inches apart. 

Clearing his throat, the man slightly backed away from the girl as he asked, “Why are you walking so close?”

It took a couple of seconds for Daisy to respond, her eyes slightly wide as she softly responded, “You’re still holding my hand.”

The girl lifted their joined hands to show him. Robbie froze for a split second as he stared at their hands before abruptly letting go of her hand. 

“Sorry,” Robbie apologized as he stepped away from Daisy and continued in the direction they were walking.

“I never said it was a bad thing,” the girl replied as she walked beside him, matching her pace with his.

Robbie let out a huff as he bit back a smile. He tried to quickly glance at Daisy, but her dark hair was shielding her face from his view. 

“Come on,” Daisy said as she quickened her pace, so she was in front of him. Flipping her hair, Daisy looked over her shoulder as she said, “Let’s find out what’s going on.”

* * *

“Are we there yet?” came the tired voice of Phil Coulson, “I feel like we have been walking for hours.”

Melinda May raised an eyebrow as she looked over at her partner who was currently trying to read the map that he was holding.

“Are you serious?” the woman asked as she adjusted the straps on her hiking backpack, “The helicopter dropped us off nearly thirty minutes ago.”

“I know,” her partner said as he came over to Melinda, pressing his side close to hers as he showed her the map, “This path that Fury laid for us seems like it might get a little rough.

“Yeah, but it’ll be the quickest route to catch up with Daisy and Robbie and trail them,” May replied as she grabbed the map from his hands and stuffed it into her jacket pockets.

It only took her a few minutes to memorize their route. Once they had left Stark’s house, Coulson called Fury to update him on Daisy’s location. After a solid five minutes of their superior yelling at them so loud that Melinda didn’t need the speakerphone to hear, Fury told the agents that he would send a helicopter to pick them up and drop them close to where Robbie’s phone last was located, but far enough that they would never run into each other. 

While Daisy and Robbie were taking the low road throughout the countryside, May and Coulson would be taking the high road through the mountains. Melinda had no idea why they couldn’t just drop them off in a town on the other side of the mountains rather than make them hike through them. Fury just mentioned something about not wanting to fly a helicopter over the Alps and something about the weather before abruptly ending the call. Melinda really hoped Fury wasn’t giving them extra trouble due to losing Daisy or sending them on another “trust exercise.” 

However, at least the part of the Alps they were going to be in was the easier part to hike. The woman just hoped that they would catch up with Daisy soon. Even though they knew Daisy’s end destination was going to be Munich, May would feel more comfortable if she could watch over the girl.

“We better get started now if we want to get the most mileage in before sundown,” Melinda said as she gestured with her hand for Phil to walk in front of her. 

The path was narrow, barely large enough for four people to fit if they walked side by side, and was covered in large rocks and tree roots that broke through the ground as if trying to feel the warmth of the sunbeams that broke through the treetop above them. As the seconds turned into minutes and the minutes turned into hours, the path was leading them into a heavily forested area thick with trees of every shade of green imaginable. If the woman looked high enough, just barely over the trees, she could see the tip of one of the mountains, the one they were going to hike.

Melinda took in a deep breath, filling her lungs with the crisp mountain air. As they were traveling higher, the colder and clearer the air became. The only sounds the woman could hear was the sound of their hiking boots on the dirt and the wind blowing through the leaves of the trees around them. 

Adjusting her pack, Melinda picked up her pace bringing herself alongside her partner. Keeping her eyes on the path in front of them, she felt Coulson’s gaze on her as if asking her what she wanted. Slightly breaking from her determination to remain focused on their mission, Melinda quickly glanced over, meeting Phil’s eyes. 

After a few seconds, or perhaps minutes, the woman couldn’t tell, a small smile appeared on her partner’s face as he turned his head back to face the forested landscape in front of them. No words passed between them. They were able to communicate through glances, a side effect of having been partners for many years. They never needed words.

Melinda tore her eyes from his profile, once again looking at their surroundings as they climbed higher and higher; however, unlike before, a small smile was forming on her face.

As the path got even narrower, she was forced to walk even closer to her partner, the back of her hand brushing the back of his at the same time as a sudden warmth spread through her bones. It was probably the sun, she reasoned, not wanting to acknowledge the unspoken words that seemed to float in the air around them. 

Turning her head to look at the sky, Melinda saw that the sun was indeed shining brighter as they were approaching the end of the forest and nearing the more rocky section of their route. 

It had to have been the sun. What else could it have been?

* * *

“Robbie, look!” Daisy yelled as she picked up her pace, breaking into a run.

The sound of the voices that they had heard led them to a large bridge. Groups of people lined either side of the bridge, peering over the rails as they let out loud cheers. Clearly something had gained their attention.

Running over to the right side of the bridge, Daisy searched for someone to ask what was happening. A tall, Amazon-like woman and a shorter man standing close with their hands interlocked caught her attention. They seemed like a nice enough couple to ask. Hopefully they knew English.

“Hey!” Daisy said as she tapped the woman on the shoulder, “What’s going on here?”

The woman turned to her with a bright smile, her blue eyes sparkling with excitement as she gestured to the side of the bridge, her blond hair whipping around her face as the wind blew around them.

“There’s bungee jumping!” the young woman explained in a clear American accent, “It’s an event for the college students around here. My boyfriend Hunter and I saw a flyer for it when we were backpacking through a town about a four-hour hike that way.”

Daisy looked at the opposite end of the bridge where the woman was pointing at. That was the direction that she and Robbie were heading in.

“By any chance is there a train station in that town?” Robbie asked from his position behind Daisy, “We’re trying to catch a train to Munich.”

“Yeah, mate,” the shorter man who was standing next to the tall woman replied in a thick British accent, “Bobs and me just passed through there this morning and saw a train station there.”

“Thanks,” Robbie replied as he nervously glanced around. The bridge was crowded, too crowded. “We should probably start heading that way.”

“You mean you’re not going to bungee jump?” The tall blonde asked with a broad smile, “We have already done it twice. It was so fun. You have to try it!”

Daisy turned to Robbie, a wild look in her eyes as she grabbed his hand, interlocking their fingers. 

“Robbie we have to!” The girl exclaimed, her dark hair whipping around her face as a strong wind passed, a wild gleam in her eye, “Please, please, please!”

“I don’t know Daisy,” Robbie said as he rubbed the back of his neck, clearly uncomfortable with the gazes of everyone waiting for his response, “We really shouldn’t waste time.”

“Please, Robbie!” Daisy whined as she tugged on his hand, making sure to look at him with her best puppy dog eyes, “I promise I will get along for the rest of the trip!”

Daisy watched as the man clearly was at war with himself. She didn’t get why he was so concerned about her own personal safety. It wasn’t like he was in charge of her. Daisy knew that if she didn’t go bungee jumping now, she would never have the chance. Especially since she would soon have to return to her ordinary, restrictive lifestyle as the president’s daughter.

“Fine,” Robbie replied, finally succumbing to Daisy’s pleas.

“Yes!” Daisy said as she pumped her fist in the air, followed by high fives from her two new friends.

“But under one condition,” Robbie said, a serious look on his face.

“Huh?”

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, Daisy found herself being strapped into the bungee jump harness alongside Robbie. The blonde woman and her boyfriend, who she found out were named Bobbi and Hunter, had informed them that there was the option to bungee jump as a pair. 

“This is safe right?” Robbie asked for the hundredth time since they first stepped into their harnesses.

“Nobody has died yet” replied the young man working the attraction as he clipped the front of their harnesses together and secured the rest of their straps, tightening them so that they sat snugly on Daisy and Robbie.

“Well that’s reassuring,” Robbie said, his chest brushing against hers as he talked. The position they were in was as if they were embracing each other. Daisy somewhat wished that they would have been attached side to side rather than front to front, but she knew this was the main way couples bungee jumped and if she were honest with herself she was thankful she’d have the chance to embrace Robbie, even if it came in the form of jumping off an extremely tall bridge. 

“Okay, we’re all set,” the guy manning the bungee jump said as he double-checked their harnesses and the large bungee cord they were attached too, “You can go whenever you feel comfortable.”

“You ready, chica?” Robbie asked, his eyes meeting hers as he circled his arms around her, making sure that she would have as much security as possible.

“Ready,” Daisy replied with a determined nod and an excited gleam in her eyes.

It was silent for a moment. 

Like that feeling before a storm when everything is calm and quiet and time seems to stop. 

And then it was fast and new and exciting and thrilling. They were falling faster and faster and faster. Her heart was pounding as she let out a loud scream or laugh or maybe a combination of both. Barely over the sound of the wind rushing past, Daisy could hear the warm sound of Robbie laughing too. 

Then, all of a sudden, it was as if time had slowed down once again. It felt as if for one second the world around them had stopped and it was just the two of them, wild eyes locked, their surroundings melting away. The water of the river as they splashed into it seemed to float up towards the sky in slow motion, droplet by droplet passing by their faces. But time can only be slowed down for just a moment.

Boom. It felt as if a jet was breaking the sound wave. Daisy could have sworn they were on a rocket blasting into the atmosphere. The wind rushed violently passed her ears and they went up and up and up. She almost felt as if they were going to fly past the bridge and into the sky but as is the order of gravity, what comes up must come down, and the tension of the cord was slowly released, letting them fall loose to the bottom of the large valley that the bridge stood above. The tips of their heads brushed the smooth water of the river as they swayed upside down, locked in a tight embrace. Robbie had never let go.

“That was amazing!” Daisy exclaimed as she stared into his eyes, mere centimeters away from hers.

“It was,” Robbie replied a warm smile on his face. 

It truly was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally updated! I never forgot about this fic. I just had to put it to the side as university got mote complicated due to coronavirus, but I'm free now! I hope that everyone is staying safe and healthy. I wanted to get this update out well before the premiere of the show this Wednesday. I am planning on posting the next chapter sometime this coming week as well to celebrate the show coming back (I seriously can't believe it's this week). 
> 
> I really enjoyed introducing Bobbi and Hunter in this chapter! Also, I really spent time trying to research the geography of the area in which this fic is set so I could be accurate, but since I am not from that area, there may be a few inconsistencies with distances. So, I am apologizing in advance if there are any. As always, kudos and comments are appreciated.
> 
> If anyone wants to cry over philinda, quakerider, or any other AoS ships, my tumblr is humans-must-be-the-heroes.
> 
> Also, feel free to shoot me a message on tumblr after the episodes air. I'm always open to discussing them and theorizing!


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